Gunman on PDEA watch list since 2010

MANILA, Philippines - Slain mass killer Ronald Bae had been on the watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), according to an official of the agency.

PDEA regional director Emerson Margate said Bae had been on their watch list when PDEA operatives raided his house in 2010 on reports that he was peddling illegal drugs.

Margate said Bae had a pending case of illegal drug possession before a court in Cavite.

“We had been monitoring him (Bae) even after he posted bail following his arrest,” Margate said.

Before this, Bae figured in reports received by the agency on drug activities in the area. Based on reports, Bae was running a “buy-and-sell” business on the side.

“I talked to the agents who arrested him and they said he (Bae) was first monitored in early 2010 based on reports from his own neighborhood,” Margate said.

He said Bae then had been sourcing his supply of illegal drugs from Imus and Bacoor towns.

“I would say his operation was not that organized. He himself would hand out the contraband to a buyer known to him. Or he may have some trusted people to distribute the drugs,” Margate said.

He said Bae had a known area where he had “positioned himself” when it came to his alleged drug peddling activities.

But following his arrest in March 2010, Bae lay low.

“He was no longer that visible (as a drug peddler)… he was more careful,” Margate said.

Bae was never arrested again but based on reports received by PDEA, he was still a drug user.

“He became more of a drug user (than a peddler),” Margate said.

Reasons and motives

Bae, armed with a .45-caliber pistol, went on a shooting rampage around his neighborhood in Barangay Tabon 1 in Kawit, Cavite, killing seven people and wounding eight others on Friday. He was later killed in a shootout with policemen who tried to arrest him.

Bae’s alleged cohort in the shooting, John Paul Lopez, surrendered to police in Imus late Friday. He is now under investigation and in the custody of the Cavite police.

Police said they still had not established the motive for the attack.

Investigators noted Bae, known in the community as “Bossing,” had been elected twice as barangay kagawad (village councilman) but left the community after being defeated in the 2010 elections for the post of barangay chairman.

Bae and Lopez had begun drinking and taking shabu on New Year’s Eve, police said.

Frequent shabu use can lead to anti-social or even psychotic behavior, said PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon. “They may start seeing demons during withdrawal. You take it from there,” he said.

Regional police director Chief Superintendent James Melad also said a deadly mix of depression, alcohol and drugs apparently fueled the shooting rampage.

“It was a confluence of factors. He (Bae) was heavily drinking, had reportedly used shabu, was depressed and lacked sleep,” Melad said.

Bae’s wife Maria Elena said her husband became distraught after learning from his relatives that he was only adopted.

She also denied having abandoned Bae but admitted they had a quarrel before the shooting spree.

Melad agreed Bae could have returned to drug use after learning that he was adopted.

Another reason could be Bae was also suspicious that his wife had left him for another man, he said.

Civil case

Melad said Bae could still face prosecution on a civil case.

“We are looking at the possibility of filing a civil case against him. This has been allowed in some cases,” he said.

Melad said the civil case would benefit the families victimized by Bae’s shooting rampage.

Bae’s accomplice, Lopez, on the other hand, could also face criminal charges, Melad said.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo said investigators are looking into Lopez’s complicity.

“We are investigating the level of his involvement, but definitely he faces criminal charges,” Cerbo said.

Cerbo noted Lopez’s claims that Bae forced him at gunpoint to load the clip of the pistol between the shootings.

“If that (claim) is proven false, he (Lopez) would be charged with many murders,” Cerbo added.

Cavite Gov. Juanito Victor Remulla said authorities doubted Lopez’s version of events.

“He changed the clip three or four times as Bae broke into houses. He (Lopez) could have easily escaped,” Remulla told radio station dzMM.

Police also said they have information that Lopez was not under duress.

“There are witnesses who saw them talking and even exchanging jokes when they were on their way back to the house. They were even seen with each other’s arms on their shoulders but when he (Lopez) saw the police approaching, he (fled and) saved himself,” Melad said.

Melad said Lopez could have run in the first place.

He said the police also have information that Lopez was helping Bae reload his pistol with bullets contained in a small box that he carried with him.

Based on the initial police interview, Lopez revealed that he even practiced how to reload Bae’s pistol magazines on the night before the rampage.

Lopez also confirmed they were drinking heavily during that night. Bae then later excused himself and went inside his bedroom. When he tried to follow, Bae stopped him.

“He (Lopez) told us that he could have sniffed shabu inside the bedroom,” Melad said.

Melad, however, ordered that Lopez be administered a drug test.

The Cavite police also performed a drug and alcohol test on Bae’s body during the autopsy.

Lopez, according to Melad, has been a “striker” or gofer for the past 13 years. Lopez was Bae’s house caretaker.

“He is very loyal to Bae,” Melad said. “There was really connivance.”

Guns and drugs

Melad added the police are also focusing on Bae on reports that he had a cache of high-powered firearms.

Aside from the .45-caliber pistol that was used in the shooting spree, Bae supposedly had expired licenses for an AK-47 assault rifle, a Sig Sauer automatic, and an Elisco M-16 rifle.

He said police visited Bae’s house last month to remind him about his expired gun licenses as part of the national police campaign “Oplan Katok” but he was not around.

“We are still looking for these guns. The .45-caliber pistol he used in the shooting is not among these,” he said.

When policemen searched Bae’s house shortly after he was gunned down, the missing guns were not there.

“We did find bullets for an M-16 rifle but the guns are not there. It is possible that they are hidden somewhere in the house. But we need a search warrant to conduct a thorough search of the house,” Melad said. – With Mike Frialde, Ed Amoroso