PNP, PDEA vow to continue war on drugs despite QC ‘misencounter’

MANILA, Philippines — “The country’s war on drugs will continue.”

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said this Thursday, a day after a shooting incident that occurred near a mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, which eventually appeared to be a “misencounter” between the two agencies.

The incident resulted in the death of three individuals from the PNP and PDEA.

“As we take on this particular case with strong desire for objectivity and integrity even if admittedly it has caused a temporary setback, we reiterate that the war on drugs continues and the PNP and the PDEA remain constantly working together to crush the real enemy in this regard—illegal drugs,” PNP spokesman Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana said as he read the joint statement of the national police and PDEA.

Usana likewise appealed to the public to “let the investigation take its course first” before making unfounded and baseless claims about the shooting incident.

He also assured that charges will be filed against those found to be at fault in the “misencounter.”

Based on a “Sketchy Incident Report ” of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 6 in Batasan Hills, QCPD’s District Special Operations Unit (DSOU) launched a buy-bust operation near the Ever Gotesco Mall. This report was confirmed to INQUIRER.net by a QCPD Station 6 personnel, who requested anonymity, during a follow-up phone interview.

Unknown to the DSOU operatives, they were transacting with PDEA’s Special Enforcement Service (SES) agents.

“Allegedly during the (confrontation), PDEA agents first engaged to shot (sic) towards the PNP personnel, leaving no option [for police but] to fight back… [and which] resulted [in] series of injuries (sic) to both parties,” the report stated.

Usana has said that a board of inquiry will be formed to determine what happened and who should be liable.

The National Bureau of Investigation will likewise conduct its own probe on the incident, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.

JPV