The two policemen, of the National Police of the Philippines (PNP), faced agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Quezon City on Wednesday night. Three PDEA agents were also injured in the confrontation and hospitalized.
Police in the Quezon City Police District’s special operations unit were conducting a drug purchase and seizure operation in a fast-food chain parking lot when they found out they were negotiating with PDEA agents. The shooting happened soon after; the exact circumstances of the shooting are not yet clear.
The authorities launched parallel investigations through a joint PNP-PDEA investigation and an investigation by the Philippine National Investigation Office.
“As of now, what is clear … the Special Inspection Services of PDEA were in the area in a legitimation operation,” said PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon, PNA said.
“We will leave that to the Board of Inquiry. We’ll see the documents tomorrow. For now, our priority is to care for our wounded, ”said Carreon.
Brig. PNP spokesman General Ildebrandi Usana told the PNA that the incident, “although serious, will in no way affect the operational relationship and coordination they have long established in the fight against illegal drugs”.
“In the interest of determining the truth behind the incident, a PNP-PDEA Board of Inquiry will be formed to determine what happened and who should be held responsible,” said Usana.
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has led a “war on drugs” in the country since he came to power in 2016, encouraging a strong crackdown on drug dealers and addicts. The campaign, often violent, left thousands dead, according to reports by police and human rights groups.