MANILA, Philippines?A lawmaker leading a congressional inquiry into illegal drugs Monday said a weekend attack allegedly carried out by a drug syndicate had left an antinarcotics agent devastated upon learning that his young daughter was abducted, drugged and raped.

?He?s devastated but he remains determined to pursue his campaign against illegal drugs,? Ilocos Norte Rep. Roquito Ablan, chair of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said in Filipino.

?But now, he is focused on taking care of his kid more than anything else ? Tatay muna siya bago isang anti-drug agent,? said Ablan, who has developed a close relationship with the agent.

Also on Monday, a top government official said the agent was ?bitter and angry? at what had happened to his young daughter based on their last communication Monday.

?He said he had neglected his family because he was dedicated to his job. He was blaming himself ? The ironic thing was he was trying to solve the problems of others,? said the official who disclosed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday that the agent?s daughter had become the latest casualty in the war on illegal drugs.

The official, who requested anonymity, said the agent was so dedicated to his job that he and his family experienced ?extreme poverty.?

He described the agent as an honest government worker who would not ask help, especially financial assistance, from anyone.

Antinarcotics agents perform ?extreme sacrifices? in running after drug syndicates ?but the help they get from government is lacking,? the official said.

?When something happens to them, to whom do they go? Where is the support of the government?? he asked.

The official said the gruesome crime was most likely perpetrated by a ?politically well-connected? drug syndicate against the agent.

The official said the text messages he had been receiving from the agent had become few and far between since the latter?s young daughter was reported missing on Saturday.

?We are all blind now,? the official said when asked where the agent and his family were now.

But the official said colleagues had been dispatched to lend the agent support. With report by Nikko Dizon