PDEA agents ordered to “pin down” key witnesses of murder case?

CATBALOGAN, Samar  –  Fear and apprehension over the safety of the more than 10 witnesses of this town’s celebrated Janine Paulin murder case buoyed up, when two of the witnesses reported that alleged agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) conducted a covert operation last week to pin them down.

Reports obtained by this writer from the Justice for Janine Movement (JFJM) showed that four unidentified PDEA agents were in town allegedly casing-in two of their witnesses by tagging them as big-time drug dealers.

Apparently, the said operation when verified with the local police here yielded negative coordination, but Samar PNP Provincial Director Asdali Idja Abah confirmed to media that his policemen informed him of the PDEA agent’s presence last week.

“They normally operate without our knowledge, but once they’re done, that’s the time that they would coordinate with us, may nakakita sa kanila pero we don’t have an idea kung ano ang project nila”, Abah said.

“Pero nalaman ko rin sa isang pulis ko, na si Dr. Gualdrapa pala ang target, saka isa pang tao, which incidentally both of them are key witnesses dun sa kaso nong bata na nakita sa nasunog na grocery”, he added.

The JFJM disclosed to media, that the alleged four PDEA agents were in town on February 6 until 8 last week due to an alleged order from an unidentified PDEA Central Office official with a rank of “Major”, to “pin down” Dr. Felino Gualdrapa and the other witness whose name was withheld for being big-time drug dealers in this town.

The PDEA agents stayed in a house allegedly owned by a policewoman somewhere near the Fame Hotel in Brgy. Muñoz here, and introduce themselves as Seamen in the said neighborhood.

But the said mission was reportedly aborted by the alleged agents themselves when they realized a commonality in their subjects based on the information fed to them accordingly by their locally-based intelligence agent.

“The agents have no idea as to the background of the subjects, but when they realized that their targets are both prime witnesses to our daughter’s murder case plus the fact nga nahibaro daw hira nga dire mga drug pusher ito nga mga tawo nga ira ginta-target, they decided to abort the mission”, Mary Jean Paulin of the JFJM informed.

Dr. Gualdrapa on the other hand told that he got the info of the PDEA’s presence from his neighbors who informed him that for two successive days, suspicious looking persons were seen watching his residence.

“Di man ak maaram nga mga PDEA agents adto, I was only informed later that it was the same group who cased-in another witness hito nga kaso ni Janine, and I vehemently denounce such move by the PDEA, kay unang-una dire ako drug pusher or a user, and with this incident, I believe somebody paid these agents to pin us down. Karuyag ada nira idungan kami ha mga pamatay nga nahitatabo yana, and drugs could be the best excuse for them to justify nga kuhaon ako, kay dire man kami NPA supporter, dire man liwat kami military asset ngan mas lalo nga dire kami pulitiko”, Gualdrapa told.

Dr. Gualdrapa is the physician who conducted the autopsy of Janine Paulin’s cadaver, that prominently disagreed with the findings of the NBI medico legal representative who joined him in the autopsy examination conducted in November 15 last year.

On the other hand, assigned at the Samar Provincial PNP here, and incidentally brother of one of the witnesses of the said murder case informed that the said PDEA operation was tipped off to him by his co-policemen who know the truth that his brother is not involved in any form of illegal activities.

“Somebody is resorting to out-of-court tactics to silence the witnesses of this murder case, parang gusto nilang palabasin na drug pusher ang kapatid ko para ma-justify kung sakali mapatay siya”, he told.

“Pero ito lang masasabi ko, malinis ang kapatid ko, at ako mismo magpapahuli sa kanya kung totoong may ginagawa siyang kalokohan, nakahanda rin kaming iparada sa buong Catbalogan, kung may makakapag-turo sa amin bilang mga drug dealer gaya nang akusasyon ng PDEA”, he added.

The said policeman further warned that the PDEA agents, though have aborted their mission, informed that the RSOG allegedly might continue the mission.