Villanueva dismayed workers, civilians could have been hurt in PNP-PDEA clash

Senator Joel Villanueva questioned the judgment of law enforcement agencies involved in the bungled buy-bust operations on Wednesday that endangered the lives of workers of a fast-food chain, innocent bystanders and patrons, as well as delivery personnel after cops and narcotics agents opened fire at one another.

Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, expressed support to an upcoming inquiry into the operation of the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), saying that the probe should be able to determine any shortcoming from authorities and prevent a repeat of the incident that clearly endangered the lives of innocent people.

“Hindi po natin basta-basta maaaring ipagkibit-balikat ang insidenteng ito dahil tila may naging kapabayaan sa ating mga law enforcement agencies. Karamihan po sa mga naipit sa gitna ng putukan ay mga ordinaryong manggagawa na nagsusumikap sa hirap ng ating buhay ngayong may pandemya,” Villanueva said in a statement.

Operatives from the police and PDEA engaged one another in an hour-long firefight along a busy portion of Commonwealth Avenue, sending terrified patrons and crew of a fast-food chain to take cover at a stock room, while delivery riders and bystanders scampered to safety.

Villanueva paid particular attention to a video clip making the rounds on social media that showed two police officers in full battle gear pointing their rifles at the civilians as they bawled out instructions to weed out suspects among the group. A pregnant woman pleaded for calm and a drink of water saying “baka duguin na ako,” as others in the group sought for cooler heads to prevail.

“Isipin po natin kung isa tayo sa mga nasa silid na iyon. Pumasok ka lang sa trabaho o kaya naman ay pumunta ka lang doon para bumili ng burger para sa anak mo, tapos biglang ganoon ang mangyayari. Kinabukasan, malalaman mo na may nagkalituhan lang pala sa gobyerno. Ano, sorry na lang po ba yon sa abala?” the lawmaker pointed out.

“Tinatrabaho po natin dito ang paggawa ng mga batas para protektahan ang ating mga manggagawa, kaya po nakakapanlumo na makakita ng mga crew at sibilyan na tinututukan ng baril at sinisigawan ng mga taong dapat ay kasangga natin sa pagprotekta sa kanila,” he continued.

Villanueva said the public inquiry slated on Tuesday should establish a precise timeline of events to determine where the fault occurred and what measure must be done to prevent another incident.

“We have two former PNP chiefs to comb through the details of the law enforcement aspect, and determine what went wrong. Our foremost concern is the welfare of our ordinary kababayans. Any legitimate law enforcement operations should not place civilians in grave danger,” Villanueva said.

He likewise cited the plight of delivery riders who were forced to leave behind their motorcycles since Wednesday as investigators combed through the crime scene. Some riders were only able to retrieve their motorcycles, which they use in their livelihood, on Friday.

“Iyong maipit sa pagpoproseso ng crime scene ang pinagkukunan ng hanapbuhay ng ating mga rider ay isang krimen na rin kung tutuusin,” Villanueva said.