Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has called on the Senate to conduct a probe into the reported disappearance and abduction of a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent who went missing last June 25.

In filing Senate Resolution No. 812, Dela Rosa sought a legislative inquiry into the case of PDEA Agent Merton Fesway, a native of Samoki, Bontoc, Mountain Province, who was reportedly abducted by unknown men outside the PDEA office in Angeles City, Pampanga.

According to Dela Rosa, initial investigations revealed Fesway failed to disclose to his “buddy” the identity of the unknown female confidential informant whom he was supposed to talk to prior to his disappearance.

The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, who was the chief implementer of the Duterte government’s controversial war on drugs, said a congressional inquiry into the matter is necessary to ensure the protection and safety of law enforcement agents as they perform their respective mandates.

“PDEA was created for the efficient and effective enforcement of the provisions of Republic Act No. 9165, otherwise known was the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 on dangerous drugs and/or precursors and essential chemicals,” Dela Rosa said in the explanatory note of his measure.

“To be able for PDEA to pursue a forceful, intensive and unrelenting campaign against drug trafficking, and the use of illegal drugs as mandated by existing laws and executive orders, there is a need to ensure the safety and security of its agents and personnel,” he said.

Fesway’s disappearance, he said, also brings to mind the reported disappearance of Enrico Barba, a PDEA intelligence officer last February 18, 2019, and who was later on found dead in Camarines Sur.

Barba had allegedly informed his team leader and provincial office that he was going to meet an informant for a planned anti-drug operation.

The former top cop noted Barba could no longer be reached the same evening he was supposed to meet the informant, and was eventually found in a concrete canal, facing upward, hands and mouth tied and wrapped in packaging tape.

“(The) disappearance and killings of law enforcement agents and authorities greatly affect the public’s trust and confidence on the peace and order situation of the country,” he lamented.

That is why “it is necessary to determine the adequacy of laws, rules and regulations and operational protocols for the safety and protection of our anti-illegal,” he said.