Daily US Times: Two police officers in the Philippines were killed in a shootout with other federal officers during a botched undercover drug bust, the country’s official state media Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.

The two officers faced off against agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Quezon City on Wednesday evening. Both of the officers were from the Philippine National Police (PNP). Three PDEA agents were also wounded in the shootout and hospitalized.

Police from the Quezon City Police District special operations unit had been operating a drug buy-bust operation in a parking lot of a fast-food chain parking lot when they found out they were transacting with PDEA agents. The fire exchange took place shortly after; the exact circumstances of the shooting are not yet clear.

Drug is a big problem in the Philippines.

Authorities have launched parallel investigations into the matter through both a joint PNP-PDEA inquiry and a probe by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation.

PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon said: “As of now, what is clear … the PDEA Special Enforcement Services was in the area on a legitimation operation.”

Carreon said: “We will leave it to the Joint Board of Inquiry. We will see the documents tomorrow. For now, our priority is to attend to our wounded personnel.”

Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana, PNP spokesperson, told PNA that the incident, “while serious, will in no way affect the continuing operational relationship and coordination they have long firmed up in the fight against illegal drugs.”

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