Duterte wants anti-narcotics agents deployed in concerts

MANILA, Philippines – Following the death of five persons at a concert in Pasay City, incoming president Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday he would order the deployment of anti-narcotics agents at concert venues once he assumes office.

Reports linked some of the deaths in the Closeup Forever Summer concert to drug overdose.

“We cannot prohibit people from assembling at a certain place, crowding together, but we can always regulate… frisking is not allowed before they enter the area. That’s too fascistic. We will scatter government security to smell around and make arrests immediately,” Duterte told reporters.

Duterte was asked to react to the death of five people during the concert at the SM Mall of Asia open grounds on May 21. 

He said police and other law enforcement agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency should work together to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“It is not uncommon for drugs to be passed around like candies during concerts,” Duterte said.

He expressed sympathies to the families of the victims.

Police said at least two of the fatalities died of drug overdose.

Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, Pasay police chief, earlier told The STAR that witnesses said one of the victims, Bianca Fontejon, 18, was seen dancing and drinking water from a bottle that had been passed around by unidentified people at around midnight Saturday.  

The other fatalities were Lance Garcia, 36; Ariel Leal, 22; Ken Migawa, 18, and Eric Anthony Miller, 33, an American.

The NBI’s medico-legal division said Fontejon and Garcia died of “massive heart failure.”

Party drug caused deaths?

Investigators are verifying reports that some of the concert goers took the party drug called “green amore” – a pill containing a cocktail of shabu, cocaine and Ecstasy.

A netizen posted a photo of the pill on social media that his friend took during the concert with “no idea where it came from.”

“It causes dehydration, high fever, heart attack, internal bleeding and kidney failure,” the post said.

Lawyer Joel Tovera, head of the NBI anti-illegal drugs unit, said green amore, also known as green apple or fly high, is not included in the list of prohibited drugs.

“Amore, which contains synthetic substance, itself is not prohibited by law. But its effects are similar to other illegal drugs,” Tovera said.

Cops widen probe

Doria said they would expand their investigation to determine if security measures were implemented during the 10-hour concert.

“We will invite more witnesses, including the organizers of the party,” Doria said.

“The marshals hired by the organizers of the event were responsible for the security at the concert area,” he added.

He urged the families of the victims to cooperate in the probe to speed up the resolution of the case.

Doria said those responsible for security lapses would be facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple deaths.

Police said they could not force the families of the victims to subject the bodies to an autopsy.

Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor encouraged the relatives of the victims to submit the bodies for medico-legal examination to help authorities determine the cause of death. – With Perseus Echeminada, Ghio Ong, Cecille Suerte Felipe