LINGAYEN—The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) confirmed the increase in the number of shooting incidents in the province, mostly drug-related, but does not attribute these to supposed vigilantes.

P/Supt. Jackie Candelario, PPPO information officer, said 66 shooting incidents were recorded from July 1 to August 24 this year.

He admitted that most of the victims of shooting incidents were drug personalities.

Despite this, he said “we are conducting investigation as we believe even drug personalities have their rights and we are serious with our investigation.”

He added that based on their initial investigations, no solid evidence has been found to prove the existence of a vigilante group or that vigilantes are behind the killing of victims accompanied by cardboard messages in the province.

“The slugs are undergoing ballistic cross matching examination in the crime laboratory to verify whether the guns of suspects match with previous crimes or criminal groups”, said Candelario.

Candelario also expressed the police’s condolences to the families of victims who were determined not to have any involvement in the illegal drug trade like the five-year-old girl who was killed by in the process by riding in tandem, whose grandfather was a drug personality and the supposed target of the suspects.

“We are doing our best and we are seriously investigating these incidents”, said Candelario.

He also assured the safety and protection of civilians as the war on drugs is being pursued.

“Most of the people in our province testify to the improved peace and order in their towns because of our campaign against illegal drugs,” he said.  Those who fear it are those still involve in illegal drug trade”, he added. (Hilda Austria)

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