A LONG-WANTED ex-mayor of Talitay, Maguindanao who has been on President Rodrigo’s Duterte’s ‘narco-list’ since 2016 was shot and killed by an agent of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group when he tried to grab the gun of another officer inside a police vehicle in Quezon City around 5:30 a.m. Thursday, said PNP chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar said.

Montasser Sabal, also a former member of the PNP was about to be taken to the PNP-CIDG headquarters in Camp Crame by members of the CIDG-National Capital Region Field Unit when he reportedly grabbed the firearm of one of his arresting officers identified as Corporal John Kristopher Ada-ol while they were traversing N. Domingo Street.

During the ensuing scuffle for the gun possession, another member of the CIDG-NCRFU team, Senior Master Sergeant Reynald Cenon shot the suspect to in defense of his colleague.

The wanted ex-mayor was pronounced dead upon arrival at the San Juan Medical Center.

The slain suspect was also linked to the September 2, 2016 infamous bombing of a night market in Davao City which killed 15 people and wounded 70 others. He was believed to be one of the men who planned the deadly bombing nearly three months into the Duterte presidency and was tagged before that as a supplier of guns and explosives to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

According to the PNP chief, Sabal’s six companions were arrested by CIDG operatives in the Port of Batangas around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Sabal yielded 400 grams of shabu worth P2.720 million, several unlicensed guns and P200,000 in cash.

“The arrest of ex-mayor Sabal and his companions, is part of the continuing effort of the PNP, primarily through the CIDG under ‘Oplan Pagtugis,’ to account for wanted persons with outstanding warrants of arrests,” said Gen. Eleazar.

The other arrested suspects were identified as Sabal’s household helpers Noraida Nandang, 43; Aika de Asis,34; and Ailyn Compania,45; and drivers Muhaliden Mukaram, 36; Zuharto Monico, 28; and Wilson Santos, 41.

PNP-CIDG director, Major Gen. Albert Ignatius D. Ferro said the suspect has been on their radar since he managed to elude several police and military operations in Mindanao since 2016.

Security troops stormed his residence in Barangay Poblacion in Talitay where they recovered a cache of high-powered firearms and ammunition and luxury vehicles on November 18, 2016. However, he was not around during the operation.

In August 2018, policemen acting on a tip from civilians tried but failed to arrest the suspect in Upi, Maguindanao.

The slain suspect is known for owning huge a residence in Talitay and in Upi.

During the 2018 raid, officers armed with a search warrant for violation of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) and RA 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 stormed the fugitive’s residence in Barangay Blensong, Upi but failed to arrest him.

However, three persons were arrested during the raid after police recovered two heat-sealed plastic sachets containing shabu, a live rifle grenade and three .50-caliber machine gun ammunition.

Sabal went into hiding after he was publicly named by President Duterte as among the ‘narco-politicians’ in the country.

He was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for his perpetual absence in office and failure to submit for several years the annual Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth required from government workers.

The suspect had denied being a ‘narco-politician’ but admitted he used to take illegal substance when he was still a member of the NCR Police Office. In 2013, he retired from the PNP and joined politics and became the mayor of Talitay during the 2013 national elections.

Gen. Eleazar said that Sabal was arrested after the PNP-CIDG got a tip that he has arrived at the Batangas port from Mindanao.

Armed with warrants of arrest for illegal possession of explosives and drugs with a P200,000 recommended bail, the PNP-CIDG team arrested Sabal while on board Reyna de Luna 4.

Recovered inside Sabal’s white Toyota Innova with conduction sticker SOU 770 were one M-16 Colt AR 15 automatic rifle with serial no. ML63401; one M-16 magazine with six live ammunition; one Glock 23 9mm semi-automatic pistol with four magazines containing 44 live ammunition; one fragmentation grenade; a set of license plate numbers KAG 4091; P48,840 in different denominations; five cellphones; two folded knives; two heat-sealed plastic sachets containing some P200,000 worth of shabu; and assorted identification cards.

Arrested with Sabal were his house helpers Nandang and de Asis and driver Mukaram.

A hot pursuit operation resulted in the arrest of the three other suspects while on board a white Nissan Navarra with conduction sticker F1R917. The vehicle was found parked at the port’s parking lot.

Recovered inside the pickup were one cal. 50 crew-served machine gun, one Colt AR 14 with serial no. ML 63501; one M16 magazine with 17 bullets; one M1 Garand rifle with 51 live ammunition; one Glock 19 pistol with serial no. ADKE 497; three Glock magazines with 51 live ammunition; a rifle grenade several mortar accessories, two mobile phones; two plastic sachets containing around 21 grams of shabu worth P2.5 million; and P582,000 in different denominations.

Gen. Eleazar said Sabal served as mayor of Talitay from 2010 to 2013 and then vice-mayor of the same municipality from 2013 to 2016.

“Accordingly, Sabal was former member of PNP SAF from 1998 to 2008 and with specialized trainings on Intelligence, Urban Counter Revolutionary Warfare Course, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Sniper’s Course,” said the PNP chief.

Gen. Eleazar said that Sabal was on the National Watchlist on Illegal Drugs (NWID).

During his incumbency, he was charged by the Office of the Ombudsman and eventually suspended for failure to disclose his properties and business interests in his SALN from 2011 to 2015.

Further, information revealed that he failed to initiate and propose legislative measures to the Sangguniang Bayan for the Municipality’s anti-illegal drugs program as mandated under RA 9165.

“Since siya ay namatay while under police custody, it is part of the protocol for the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) to conduct a motu-proprio investigation. We will leave the investigation to our IAS and my instruction to IAS Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo is to expedite the conduct of the investigation,” said Gen. Eleazar.