Two House panels to probe Cebu shooting

CEBU CITY — Two House committees will jointly conduct here today an inquiry into the Dec. 13 botched drug operation by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) where nearly killed six employees of the Plantation Bay Resort.

The House committee on public order and safety, headed by Rep. Joseph Ace Durano, will be joining the human rights panel, chaired by Rep. Etta Rosales, in the investigation.

Rep. Jose Gullas, who is not a member of either committee but who, along with Cebu Reps. Nerissa Soon Ruiz, Raul del Mar and Antonio Cuenco, strongly lobbied for the inquiry, made the disclosure that the Durano panel will join the probe.

Gullas, who said he was deeply disturbed by the incident, arranged for the joint inquiry to be held at the Sacred Heart Center.

The two House panels are expected to determine whether the five regular NBI agents and more than a dozen civilian confidential agents involved in the botched operation violated established rules of engagement.

They will also look into allegations that the NBI tried to cover up the incident.

The Office of the Ombudsman, which is conducting its own investigation, earlier ordered the six-month suspension of NBI regional director Romulo Manapsal and agents Angelito Magno, Arnel Pura, Danilo Garay, Rey Tumalon and Teodoro Saavedra.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has filed multiple frustrated murder and attempted murder charges against the five NBI agents and named Manapsal as an accessory to the crime.

Manapsal has appealed the Ombudsman’s suspension order against him, arguing that the anti-graft office acted on a CIDG complaint that was not made under oath and based only on media reports.

Manapsal disputed the claim of CIDG chief Edwin Diocos that the evidence against him was strong, saying none of the affidavits from supposed witnesses implicated or mentioned him.

He denied having attempted to cover up the case and refusing to cooperate with investigators.

But Deputy Ombudsman Primo Miro said the decision to suspend Manapsal and the five agents had nothing to do with the merits of the case but merely to prevent them from influencing the investigation.

The NBI agents, acting on a tip that a drug lord was on a Mitsubishi L-300 van, tried to stop a similar van being used by the six Plantation Bay employees at 2 a.m. of Dec. 13, in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City.

Because the agents neither identified themselves nor had any identifying marks, the resort employees surmised they were about to be robbed and sped away.

The agents opened fire with five of those inside the van injured from a hail of bullets from various firearms. — Freeman News Service