Revenge behind slay of PDEA agent, son?

CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur, Philippines  – The wrath of “victims” of a violent raid of a supposed pot session here in December might have led to the brutal killing of a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agent and his son Thursday evening.

Armed men, believed to be hired guns, peppered Edward Gautani Sr., a regular agent of PDEA in Ilocos Sur killing him instantly while having supper with his family in a resort in Barangay Darapiradap, this city.

The agent’s 16-year-old son, Edward Jr., who attempted to help his father was also gunned down by the armed men.

Ilocos Sur police director Senior Superintendent Virgilio Fabros said investigators are linking the brutal killing to the “botched” raid Gautani and other anti-narcotics agents conducted in December. 

Accordingly, the PDEA agents found nothing in the raid, but that the supposed “victims” were allegedly manhandled. 

Candon police theorized that the supposed “victims” of the raid including a balikbayan soli­cited the services of guns-for-hire to get back at Gautani Sr.

Fabros hinted a witness already surfaced to shed light on the killing.

Meanwhile, Fabros insists that the drug situation in Ilocos Sur, particularly in Candon City remains negligible even at the height of the brutal killing of Gautani.

One case of a pusher who turned mad against authorities can lead to a killing, the police director argued. “The killing doesn’t mean that the drug situation in the province causes an alarm.” The drug problem in Ilocos Sur is very minimal, Fabros assured. – Artemio Dumlao