Confessed Cebu drug lord slain in Quezon City

CEBU CITY — A confessed Cebuano drug lord, whose vice-mayor brother is in the narcolist released last March by President Duterte, was gunned down in Quezon City past midnight Thursday.

Franz Sabalones had just disembarked from his vehicle in front of Hustler Club at the corner of Scout Borromeo and Mother

Ignacia Street in Barangay South Triangle in Quezon City when he was fatally shot. Sabalones, who was initially identified as Jerome Cabilao of Las Piñas City, was reportedly on his way to watch a billiard tournament in the establishment.

In a phone interview, Maj. Elmer Monsalve, chief of the Criminal Investigation Detective Unit of the Quezon City Police District, said Sabalones was with two companions but they didn’t see the assailant.

Initial reports said that the assailant used a shotgun in shooting Sabalones.

At least five identification cards bearing different names were taken from Sabalones’ possession.

But Monsalve said Sabalones’ identity was confirmed by Cabilao, his cousin, upon checking the body.

Sabalones was a native of San Fernando town in southern Cebu where at least four elected officials have been killed since last year.

Police were looking into illegal drug ties as possible motive in the spate of killings involving elected officials in San Fernando town.

On August 7, 2016, Sabalones surrendered to then Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa after he was identified by President Duterte as among those involved in the illegal drug trade.

Sabalones’ brother Fralz is the incumbent vice mayor of San Fernando but has not been reporting to the municipal hall since mid-part of last year.

The vice mayor was included in the list of narco-politicans that President Duterte released last March 14.

Last week, Sabalones’ driver and close aide Gonzalo Echavez Abellana II, 38, was arrested in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City in Southern Cebu.

Narcotics red flags

Meanwhile, red flags have been raised in Lucena City in Quezon province and in Batangas due to the proliferation of illegal drugs, President Duterte revealed Wednesday night amid the government’s efforts to combat the narcotics trade.

The President identified the two places listed on the “map of the drug scene” during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Batangas City, adding that he would be happy to kill criminals.

“Apparently, Lucena and Batangas right now appear to be in the – with a red flag in the map of sa drug scene,” Duterte said. (With reports from Alexandria San Juan and Genalyn D. Kabiling)