BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – A still unidentified killer claimed perhaps the first woman drug war casualty in the Cordillera before noon Thursday.

Chona Oliveros, 47, was shot three times at close range while attending to a nail salon customer along the Hangar Market road in Upper Magsaysay, here.

Police said the killer, described as wearing a black shirt and denim pants, fled on foot towards lower Magsaysay Avenue after shooting Oliveros.

The victim, according to Baguio City Police Station 2 records, was at the top of the drug watch list in the said staion.

Oliveros is the fifth victim of alleged summary executions at the Central Business District and the 16th in the city since July.

Drug suspect shot in Apayao

On Monday, another drug suspect was killed by unknown gunmen in Flora town in Apayao on Monday.

The victim, who is on the town’s police drug watch list was identified as Edmund Cascayan Tungpalan, 37, from Camia Street, Barangay Poblacion West, Flora.

The police said Tungpalan was unloading a bed from his utility truck when motorcycle-riding gunmen rode up and parked along the road. One of the riders came up to the victim and shot him once.

Tungpalan tried to run but was shot again twice.

The victim was rushed to Flora District Hospital and later on transferred to Cagayan Valley Medical Center at Tuguegarao City. However, he was pronounced dead on arrival.