PDEA agent, son slain

CANDON CITY, Philippines – An agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in charge of monitoring various drug cases in the Ilocos region and his 16-year-old son were gunned down by unidentified men while they were having their supper at a resort here Thursday night.

Col. Roberto Opeña, PDEA regional director, identified the fatalities as PDEA officer Edward Gautani Sr. and his son Edward Jr.

Reports said father and son, together with four other family members, were having dinner in one of the cottages in the beach resort which Gautani’s mother owns in Barangay Darapidap when two men approached them and ordered four bottles of beer.

While one of the family members left to get the bottles of beer in their store, one of the two men pulled out a gun and shot the elder Gautani several times.

Though wounded, Gautani managed to flee from his attacker, but collapsed about three meters away from the cottage. His son came to his rescue, but was shot in the head and abdomen.

Father and son were rushed to the St. Martin de Pores Hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival.

Police investigators found several empty shells and deformed slugs of calibers .45 and 9-mm at the crime scene, prompting them to suspect that professional hit men pulled off the killing.

Police said the incident might have something to do with Gautani’s work as a PDEA agent.

Opeña said Gautani not only monitored illegal drug cases but was also as an invaluable asset in gathering information that led to several successful anti-narcotics operations.

Gautani was a former Army and police confidential asset before joining the PDEA last year.

“Both the police and our office are conducting follow-up investigations. We are delving deeper if this is connected to drugs or any other motives and we won’t stop until the men responsible (for the killing) are dealt with,” Opeña said. – With Artemio Dumlao and Teddy Molina