DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 Sept) – A police officer detailed at the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU) of Regional Police Office (PRO) 11 was shot dead during a buy-bust operation conducted by members of the Talomo Police Station around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The suspect, identified as PO 2 Diamel Laput Pangcoga, 34, a resident of Camasura Compound, Sitio Awa, Catalunan Grande, this city, was engaged in illegal drug trade based on investigation of authorities.
Based on the police report issued by Talomo Police Station, the suspect arrived at Sitio Ubat, Catalunan Grande boarding a pink Yamaha Mio motorcycle where he met with a police officer acting as a buyer.
When Pangcoga sensed it was an entrapment operation, he immediately drew his pistol and fired at the police officer. Before fleeing on his motorcycle, he tried to shoot the police officer again, prompting the latter to fire his gun, resulting in Pangcoga’s instant death.
Recovered in his possession were three sachets of suspected shabu, caliber .
45 pistol, ammunitions in two magazines, identification cards, Casio watch, digital camera, and P1,000 buy-bust money.
The suspect was facing administrative and criminal cases on the grounds of malversation of government property when he was detailed in Mati, Davao Oriental before he was reassigned to RPHAU of PRO 11.
The suspect served as policeman for seven years.
DCPO spokesperson Chief Insp. Milgrace C. Driz, during the AFP/PNP press conference on Tuesday, told reporters that the suspect was placed under monitoring for two months before the operation was conducted.
With the involvement of new officers in illegal drug activities and other crimes, Driz said lapses could be blamed on the background investigation conducted on applicants before accommodating them.
“We are not a perfect organization. There’s a problem in the recruitment,” she said.
Some of the trainees, for instance, can just claim they are residents of Davao City without disclosing their real address by presenting barangay clearances.
Some barangay halls are lenient in the issuance of barangay clearances, Driz claimed.
