PDEA spokesperson Derrick Arnold Carreon (File photo)
MANILA – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will exhaust all available legal remedies relative to the criminal charges filed by the Department of Justice’s National Prosecution Service (NPS) against three PDEA operatives and four policers following the alleged misencounter in Quezon City in February last year.
In a statement on Saturday, PDEA spokesperson Derrick Arnold Carreon said the agency stands by its Drug Enforcement Officers’ (DEO) action on Feb. 24, 2021 when two separate anti-drug operations ended in a misencounter in front of a fast-food chain, killing two PDEA agents and two police officers.
“In light of this resolution and after the conduct of its own internal investigation, the PDEA unequivocally stands behind the actions of its DEOs, that the actions of the PDEA agents in that fateful afternoon embody the agency’s brand of professionalism and excellence,” Carreon said.
He said the PDEA respects the authority and competence of the NPS in the conduct of its preliminary investigation but “the PDEA finds that much is to be desired upon learning of the National Prosecution Service’s Resolution.”
Carreon said the agency “remains steadfast that facts, indisputable circumstances, electronic evidence in the form of CCTV footages, jurisprudence and other pieces of evidence sufficiently show the culpability and accountability of the police commissioned and non-commissioned officers involved in the incident.’’
In recognition of the sacrifices of the PDEA officers and personnel to fight illegal drugs in the country, Carreon said all available legal remedies will be used against the NPS’s resolution.
“It is also in the highest interest of the Filipino people that these events be thoroughly examined, and justice be impartially served so as not to jeopardize the government’s anti-illegal drugs efforts,” said Carreon.
Justice system works
For his part, Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, PNP director for operations said they respect the NPS’s decision to indict their four police officers.
"This is another proof that the justice system in our country works and this will serve as an opportunity for both the PDEA agents and the policemen concerned to explain their side as part of the due process," De Leon said in a separate statement.
"Both the PNP and the PDEA have already learned their lessons from that unfortunate incident, which has become an avenue for a stronger partnership, particularly in the campaign against illegal drugs," he added.
De Leon was referring to the coordination protocol signed between then PNP chief Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar and PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva in July last year based on a series of meetings between representatives of the two agencies to iron out policies that would prevent similar incidents in the future.
As a result, De Leon said the coordination protocol between the PNP and the PDEA also paved the way for the involvement of other law enforcement agencies in the campaign against illegal drugs, such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Customs.
Office of Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento earlier said prosecutors have approved the filing before a Quezon City court of homicide charges against PDEA agents Khee Maricar Rodas, Jeffrey Baguidudol and Jelou Satiniaman for the death of Cpl. Eric Elvin Garado.
Cpl. Paul Christian Gandeza, Lt. Honey Besas, Maj. Sandie Caparroso and Master Sgt. Melvin Merida are facing charges of direct assault for injuries suffered by PDEA agents Raymart Bayote, Prince Bernard Gallego, Brenson Sulang and Allan Capiral.
The charges against PDEA agent Romeo Asuncion for the death of Cpl. Lauro de Guzman was dismissed "on the ground that the firearm and caliber used to shoot was never identified. Also, none of the evidence bullets or the spent cartridges found at the area matched agent Asuncion's firearm."
The case against Cpl. Alvin Borja for the death of PDEA agent Rankin Gano was also dismissed after prosecutors noted that the "medico-legal report and the ballistics examination by the National Bureau of Investigation failed to identify the fatal shot at agent Gano."
It added that there was no proof that Borja was the only one who shot Gano. (PNA)
