What went wrong? NBI probe of concert deaths invites expert

The National Bureau of Investigation has invited the head of Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) as a resource person in the ongoing probe of the Closeup Forever Summer concert where five people died.

The NBI-Death Investigation Division asked DDB Secretary Felipe Rojas Jr. to appear on June 17 and 20.

“His insights will help us determine the possible lapses in the handling of the concert. He can tell us what went wrong and the things that should have been done by the organizers,” an official privy to the investigation told the Inquirer.

Autopsies and tests on four of the five fatalities showed drug traces in their bodies, such as synthetic cathinones and MDMA methylene homolog, a cheaper but more lethal form of the party drug ecstasy.

On June 9, the DDB issued a statement saying the concert organizers could be charged with violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Act if proven that their negligence allowed the sale and use of illegal drugs at the May 21 event in Pasay City.