The NBI headquarters in Manila. (File photo / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines–The shootout between members of the Philippine National Police anti-illegal drug operatives and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents is the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) top priority, an official said Friday.
The NBI is now the sole body that will do an investigation on the incident upon the instruction of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The Director [Eric Distor] has considered this a priority case,” NBI Deputy Director and Spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said.
“We thank the President and the Secretary of Justice [Menardo Guevarra] for their complete trust in the NBI. We will stand to the challenge as we always do. There is no question that the NBI with NBI Director Eric Distor at the helm of the bureau, we will be able to do an impartial investigation into the incident,” he added.
Guevarra tapped the NBI to do a parallel investigation immediately after the incident Wednesday evening.
The shootout has left four people dead.