Ex-WV drug czar nabbed for lawyer’s murder

By Jennifer P. Rendon

 

Years after shying away from public eye, a former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Regional Director in Western Visayas is again the subject of scrutiny following his alleged involvement in the murder of a lawyer in Cebu City in November 2020.

Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Layese was accused of “supervising” the killing of lawyer Jose Luis Wee.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region 7 director Renan Oliva said that they arrested Layese on January 12.

While he was not the alleged mastermind in Wee’s death, Layese was said to be involved in the planning and execution.

On top of Wee’s killing, the NBI claimed that Layese might be involved in the murder attempt on another lawyer, James Gupana, in October 2020.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1994, Layese also served as PDEA Regional Director in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

On November 21, 2012, the PDEA central office ordered the dismissal of Layese, along with two other PDEA regional directors.

The lack of Civil Service eligibility cost Layese not just his post but his career with PDEA as well.

Layese assumed as PDEA-Region 6 Director on September 1, 2012.

Even then, his lack of Civil Service Commission (CSC) eligibility raised questions on his designation.

After his PDEA stint, he was hired as security manager of the Cebu Holdings Inc. and Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp.