PDEA wants police escorts of slain agents investigated

DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) wants the police escort of their five slain agents in Lanao del Sur investigated for apparent irregularities during the ambush last week.

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said, in an interview at their regional office here Tuesday morning, that based on an initial report, police officers from the Tagaloan II Municipal Police Station, who served as escorts of the PDEA team, were able to survive the ambush unscathed.

“Bakit sila nakalabas sa killing zone, meron bang ibig sabihin nun? (Why did they get out of the killing zone, does that mean something ?),” he said.

Aquino’s suspicion was triggered by a portion of the report which said that, prior to the ambush, the police team was trailing the PDEA vehicle, when it suddenly overtook the antidrug agents.

A few minutes after, the ambush took place.

“Parang, kaduda duda yung kanilang galaw nung time na yun (There moves were really suspicious during that time),” he said

He said the police team also did not double back when the vehicle of the PDEA agents were already being strafed.

Aquino said the escorts, including their commanding officer, have already been relieved and are now under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Police Regional Office (ARMM-PRO) Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit for investigation.

He said his office has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the incident because the police report was not consistent with facts gathered by the PDEA.

“Para mawala ang white wash, kasi baka sila sila rin... Mag-support sa kapwa pulis nila, mas maganda na ibang ahensya ang mag imbestiga (To eradicate white wash, because they might exonerate their comrade, it is better that another agency conducts the probe),” he said. (Armando B. Fenequito Jr.)