5 PDEA agents face slay raps

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed murder charges yesterday against five Central Luzon agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in connection with the death of a Chinese drug suspect under their custody.

Superintendent Christopher Laxa, the CIDG’s Region 3 chief, identified the five PDEA personnel as SPO1 Buenaventura Lopez and PO1s Arnan Arojado, Antonio Barerras, Guadencio Tolentino and Peter Sistemia.

The murder complaint filed with the prosecutor’s office of the City of San Fernando, stemmed from the death of alleged drug lord Han Yin Yang.

The regional PDEA office earlier claimed that Han committed suicide last March 16 by slashing his neck with a broken piece of glass from a window jalousie inside the comfort room.

But SPO4 Regino Raquipiso, CIDG-Region 3 chief investigator, said findings of Inspector Richard Viray, medico-legal officer of the regional crime laboratory, showed that Han’s wound was "not self-inflicted."

Raquipiso said an administrative case will be filed against Superintendent Sonny David, regional PDEA chief, for serious neglect of duty.

Han was arrested in a drug buy-bust in Meycauayan, Bulacan last March 6. He reportedly yielded at least 500 grams of shabu.