AFTER a tongue-lashing from President-apparent Rodrigo Duterte, government agents arrested a suspected drug peddler who supposedly sold the drugs that killed five people, including an American, at a Pasay City concert party on May 22.
The National Bureau of Investigation identified the suspect as Joshua Habalo who was arrested Friday night inside the Remington Hotel in Pasay City and is now undergoing interrogation at the NBI headquarters on Taft Avenue in Ermita, Manila.
NBI Anti-Illegal Drugs Division agents led by Joel Tovera also confiscated some Ecstasy tablets, packets of cocaine and three green-colored tablets from the suspect.
Habalo, however, denied knowing the fatalities and told investigators that he was not among the persons who sold drugs in the party concert in Pasay City.
The NBI is now preparing the filing of criminal charges against the suspect before the Pasay City prosecutors office.
Habalo’s arrest came on the heels of a public tongue-lashing by Duterte who scolded government officials and policemen for their supposed negligence and threatened to implement a massive revamp of the Philippine National Police when he assumes office June 30.
Duterte even called a midnight press conference “because nobody from the higher office is talking about the incident” which, he said, was the result of a failure of intelligence.
The president-in-waiting even threatened to implement a massive revamp where he will reassign Metro Manila police chiefs and their men to far-flung police commands, like those in Sulu.
“Where’s the NBI, their anti-drug units or whatever that agency is called? Where’s the police? Where’s the PDEA? They knew that if it’s a rock concert or there were bands playing, many assholes would bring illegal substances. I’m just guessing it was just passed on to everybody. Why are there so many people who died [in the concert]?” Duterte said.
Officials of the National Capital Region Police Office, Southern Police District and Pasay City Police kept mum over the tongue-lashing, saying “this issue will be addressed by the National Headquarters.”
But PNP spokesman Wilben Mayor recognized it will be within the powers of incoming President Duterte to reorganize the police force.
“Being the president of the Philippines, he is the commander-in-chief, he is the chief executive. He can do so. He can direct all units that are within the power of the president,” he said.
NCRPO director Joel Pagdilao, for his part, insisted on Friday that his men are hot on the trail of two suspects—a man and a woman—who supposedly sold drugs during the concert party.
“We are conducting follow-up operations. What we have now is a man and a woman suspects whom, according to the witnesses, were the persons who sold drugs during the event. Our men are now tracking down the whereabouts of these people,” said Pagdilao.
However, the NBI beat the police to the arrest although they even formed a Special Investigation Task Group composed of personnel from the NCRPO, SPD and Pasay City police.
Initial reports stated that the five attendees of the event, including an American national, died after allegedly taking drugs, specifically a cocktail called “Fly High,” a deadly mixture of ecstasy (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).
“The investigation is still on progress. We welcome the parallel investigation being conducted by NBI so we can all provide an input on this issue and further provide the public with correct and factual information. However, also give due respect to the wishes of their [victims] families, hence pursuance of the case will also rely on the decision of the families,” said Pagdilao’s spokesperson Kimberly Molina.
Meanwhile, NBI and PNP crime laboratory experts are conducting histopathological test to determine what particular substance that caused the death of two of the five individuals.
The PNP said histopathology is the microscopic examination of biological tissues to observe the appearance of diseased cells and tissues in very fine details.
Crime laboratory officer Chief Supt. Emmanuel Aranas said based on the toxicology test results, there was an inflammation of vital organs especially in the brains of American Eric Miller and Ken Migawa.
Pasay City Police chief investigator Rolandio Baula also said two other fatalities—Lance Garcia, 36, and Bianca Fontejon, 18, died of massive heart attack.
The family of another victim Ariel Leal, 22, refused to have his body undergo autopsy examination.
Authorities admitted that it will take less than two weeks before they will come up with the result of the examination.
The five individuals were found unconscious at different parts of the SM Mall of Asia Open Grounds during the party concert organized by a toothpaste brand.