Pangasinan ‘raid’: More raps poised vs 4 PDEA agents

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Additional charges of drug trafficking will be filed against the four Cordillera-based agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), who were charged last Friday with kidnapping for the alleged abduction of two residents of San Quintin town.

Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, Ilocos police director, said the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory in Urdaneta City confirmed that the four plastic packs recovered from the PDEA agents’ vehicle contained shabu.

The four sachets of shabu, weighing 1.5 grams, were seized from the Toyota Revo that was used by the suspects, namely Chief Inspector Forfillio Calagan, the PDEA team leader; SPO4s Marquez Madlon and Arthur Lucas, and PO2 Edwin Garcia.

San Quintin police probers and prosecutor Noel Bince earlier filed kidnapping charges against the suspects in the Tayug regional trial court.

The four PDEA agents are now detained at the Tayug police station.

Investigators said the PDEA agents allegedly abducted Liza Marquez and her stepson, Denver Evangelista, in Barangay Alac, San Quintin last Thursday.

Police said the PDEA agents failed to get any shabu from the victims’ house during an alleged "raid."

There were reports that a relative of the victims has been linked to drug pushing, but the former was not around when the PDEA agents conducted the "raid."

The PDEA agents snatched Marquez and Evangelista and allegedly demanded P400,000 from their family in exchange for their release.

The ransom was later reduced to P150,000 after negotiations with the victims’ family. However, the family was able to produce only P110,000. Evangelista was released, but Marquez was held pending the payment of the balance of P40,000.

Marquez’s relatives later reported the kidnapping to the police, which, in turn, put up checkpoints to intercept the PDEA agents, who were eventually nabbed by Tayug policemen.

Two civilian assets of the PDEA men who were holding Marquez managed to flee on board a tricycle. They later abandoned Marquez in Urdaneta City and escaped.

Bataoil ordered investigators to make artist’s sketches of the two PDEA assets who the four agents refused to identify.

He, however, clarified that investigators were not yet clearing Evangelista and Marquez of any alleged link to illegal drugs. The two are still under investigation, he added.

Bataoil said Superintendent Oliver Enmodias, chief of the PDEA-Cordillera Administrative Region, claimed that the raid conducted by the four PDEA agents had clearance from him and that it was a follow-up operation for a drug trafficking case they were pursuing in San Quintin.

Bataoil advised Enmodias to bring a lawyer for the defense of the four arrested agents.

He said police operating units should strictly comply with standard operating procedures to prevent illegal operations.

"If you are a policeman and you are in custody of this evidence, assuming that (it) was gathered somewhere else, turn over the evidence on illegal drugs to the crime laboratory within 24 hours," he said.

Bataoil urged citizens to report to the police any policeman who abuses his authority and victimizes anyone.

"There is no way bad elements in our organization will destroy the reputation of the PNP. The more that we should show to them that anybody up there smearing the image of the PNP should mend his ways. It is time to fully internalize and implement the PNP transformation program," he said.

Enmodias insisted that the four arrested PDEA agents were conducting a legitimate operation against Marquez and Evangelista.

He claimed to have made verbal coordination with PDEA Region 1 because it was supposed to be a joint drug enforcement operation.

However, Superintendent Jane Aunzo, PDEA-Region 1 director, said that PDEA-Cordillera did not coordinate with her office.

"Whether my men committed extortion, it is up for the courts to determine now (since the cases were already filed)," Enmodias said.

Enmodias said the four arrested PDEA agents are planning to file charges against the Region 1 policemen for alleged operational lapses. — With Artemio Dumlao