Another PDEA-ARMM agent slain

MANILA, Philippines - Another agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was killed in an ambush in Cotabato City after a surveillance mission on a suspected drug trafficker in the area, the agency said yesterday.

PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago has ordered the agency’s national office and all regional offices to put their colors at half-mast in honor of Intelligence Officer 1 Rommel Alvarez, who was waylaid by at least three gunmen on a motorcycle at Kutang Bato Square Garden, Rosary Heights 7 in Cotabato City.

Reports said Alvarez, together with Intelligence Officer 2 Jenalyn Tan who hitched a ride, had just attended the Christmas party at the PDEA-ARMM office when they decided to go home before getting back to their surveillance work.

They were headed back to their office when their three attackers flagged them down. As Alvarez slowed down to pull over, the three peppered him with bullets before fleeing the scene.

Despite his wounds, Alvarez managed to shoot back, hitting at least one of the gunmen.

Tan managed to jump off the motorcycle after the first shots and ran for cover in a grassy area not far from the ambush site.

A few minutes later, the PDEA regional office received information that a man was rushed to the Cotabato Medical Center for treatment of a gunshot wound in the abdomen.

A team of PDEA agents, along with Tan, proceeded to the hospital. The wounded man turned out to be Pundato Usop, a resident of Kakar, Cotabato City, and Tan positively identified him as one of the attackers.

Santiago said Usop is now under tight security at the hospital.

He said Alvarez was the second casualty of the Drug Enforcement Officers’ Basic Course 2008-03 Class of the PDEA Academy.

Two months ago, PDEA agent Jesus Ebo was gunned down in a buy-bust operation in Lanao del Sur.

Several other operatives had been killed in earlier encounters with drug traffickers in the ARMM.

In April 2009, a PDEA team set to serve an arrest warrant to a suspect was ambushed in Sultan Kudarat, resulting in the death of IO2 Pablo June Jala and the wounding of several others.

Last May, Armand Tañeca was slain during a drug buy-bust operation in Iligan City.