Suspected drug pusher killed, 2 others hurt in alleged shootout

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—A suspected drug trafficker was killed while two others were wounded during an alleged shootout with anti-narcotics agent here Monday.

Chief Insp. Edwin Layese, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the slain suspect, Teng Guiaman, and his two companions opened fire at anti-drugs agents as they entered Barangay Poblacion 2 supposedly to conduct a buy-bust operation.

“We only learned that Guiaman was killed this morning when the village chair was interviewed over the radio,” Layese said Tuesday.

Juhair Madag, Barangay Poblacion chair, however said Guiaman was a carpenter working at a mosque when the alleged firefight took place.

Madag doubted the PDEA story.

“It was a legitimate encounter,” Layese said.