The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Tuesday warned the public against unscrupulous individuals masquerading as anti-illegal drug agents.

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino reiterated the warning in light of the arrest of a man posing as a PDEA agent and his female companion during a shootout in Parañaque City on Feb. 24.

Aquino, in a press statement, said Jhay-R Repana, 31, a resident of Barangay BF Homes in Parañaque City, and Rosemimi Facal, 30, a resident of Bayanan in Taguig City, were involved in a shooting incident along Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Gate 2 of Loyola Memorial Park, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City.

According to a witness, the pair, who were onboard a Mitsubishi Lancer with plate number XHU-835, figured in a shootout with another vehicle left Repana wounded in the left leg.

• 2 'pekeng PDEA,' arestado; pero 'confidential agents' daw sila

During a follow-up operation, Parañaque City Police Station discovered Repana and Facal’s vehicle parked near the Sta. Rosa Hospital, Laguna that led to their arrest.

When inspected by the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) team of Police Regional Office 4A (PRO-4A), the vehicle yielded a .38 revolver with pieces of ammunition, and one plastic sachet of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, one improvised tooter, and lighter.

Repana identified himself as a PDEA operative displaying his identification card to the arresting authorities.

Repana and Facal will be facing charges for violation of Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Additional charges for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, usurpation of authority, and alarm and scandal will also be filed in court against them.

• Mga 'impostor' ng PDEA na nangingikil, tukoy na

"It comes as no surprise that there are people who misrepresent themselves as PDEA agents or as members of other law enforcement units to perform their illegal activities," Aquino said.

"Our agents have undergone rigorous training for months, imbibing in them the core values of the PDEA organization. We will not tolerate unscrupulous people who pretend to be our agents and tarnish the agency’s integrity just like that."

On February 4, 2018, some people wearing PDEA uniforms while tagging along alleged arrested drug personalities on two vehicles, were seen on closed-circuit television (CCTV) videos in Barangay Ususan, Taguig City.

The same group managed to elude arrest after engaging the authorities in hot pursuit in the same barangay two weeks later.

The PDEA advised the public to immediately report any individuals introducing themselves as PDEA agents while committing a criminal act.

To send reports to PDEA 24/7 Text Hotlines, simply follow the directions below:

Text: Name of perpetrator/poser and complete information

Send to: For SMART Subscribers - 0999-888 PDEA (7332); for Sun Subscribers - 0925-573 PDEA (7332); and for Globe Subscribers- 0927-915-0616.