By JOEY NACALABAN
Correspondent .
POLICE yesterday helped a group of taxi drivers in pressing multiple charges against three members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and a former narcotics agent who allegedly ganged up on them in Pagatpat here late last week.
Senior Insp. Breccia Ruth Townend, Bulua police station chief, said the suspects are facing cases for multiple grave threats, illegal discharge of firearms, inflicting physical injuries and attempted murder.
The suspects — Ramil Saledo, 31, of Fatima Subdivision in Pagatpat, Jestoni Tubongbanua, 28, of Pdea-Bukidnon, Randy Doliente, 30, of PDEA-Iligan, and former PDEA agent Marvin Pabalate — were charged before the local prosecutor’s office yesterday.
PDEA regional director Wilkins Villanueva said the narcotics agents are on their own. He said the PDEA regional office will not be involved in the legal troubles of its men as a result of what happened in Pagatpat late last week.
Villanueva said the narcotics agents and Pabalate have to face the charges on their own.
“We have no sacred cow here in PDEA. They created their own problem, then they have to solve it by their own,” Villanueva said.
He said the case should serve as a warning to all narcotics agents that “barbaric actions” would not be tolerated in PDEA.
Villanueva said he has already sent a report about what happened in Pagatpat to the PDEA’s internal affairs office.
The suspects were arrested, and detained at the police’s Maharlika headquarters.
Senior Insp. Townend said the suspects would undergo paraffin tests, and the guns seized from them would be subjected to ballistics examination.
Townend said at least one of the suspects, agent Saledo, has been accused of attempted murder. He allegedly struck one of the victims with his gun.
The agents caused tension at Fatima Subdivisions late last week after they allegedly bullied and attacked a group of taxi drivers at a terminal area.
The incident started when Sabedo’s wife called a taxi at the height of her quarrel with her husband. Sabedo allegedly vented on the taxi driver, and the armed men chased him to the terminal.
The other taxi drivers who helped their beleaguered friend were then allegedly threatened and attacked.
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