In the early morning hours of May 22, 2016, five people died after taking alleged illegal drugs during a

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

dance party organized by

Close-Up A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long s ...

entitled ''Forever Summer'', at the

SM Mall of Asia concert grounds SM Mall of Asia, also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area within Manila Bay, and the ...

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Incident and investigation

A report from Pasay city police stated that four casualties — namely Bianca Fontejon (18), American national Eric Anthony Miller (33), Ariel Leal (22) and Lance Garcia (36) — were found unconscious while the concert, called "Close-Up ''Forever Summer''", was ongoing at the SM Mall of Asia. All four were brought to a hospital but died shortly thereafter. A fifth casualty — Ken Migawa (18), also found unconscious, was later brought to a hospital in critical condition and died the night of May 22. The five fatalities were not acquainted with each other. The deaths occurred hours after the concert began. At the time of the concert, no

bouncers A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, ...

or security personnel were present at the middle of gathering but about 70 policemen were deployed at the venue. Investigating officer Giovanni Arcinue said that the police were looking at

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

heat stroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, ...

as possible causes as the country is in

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...

brought about by

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...

Netizen The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and '' citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.

s speculated that the victims took the

recreational drug Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions and emotions of the user. When a ...

called "Green Amore", a lethal mix of ecstasy and

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

. Investigators stated that the rumors on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

still presume that drug-laced drinks were the probable cause of their deaths.

Autopsy

On May 22, an autopsy report revealed that Fontejon and Garcia died due to sudden

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, this according to Dr. Wilfredo Esquivel Tierra, Assistant Chief of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Medico-Legal Division. According to the medico legal report of NBI, it was shown that Fontejon had two types of dangerous drugs in her body:

MDMA 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly seen in Tablet (pharmacy), tablet form (ecstasy) and crystal form (molly or mandy), is a potent empathogen–entactogen with stimulant properties primarily used for Recreational dru ...

methylene homolog and synthetic cathinones. The NBI refused to speculate how it got into her body. The last two autopsies conducted by Superintendent Bonnie Chua, head of the Crime Laboratory of the Southern Police District (SPD), revealed that Migawa and Miller died of heart failure and brain swelling. In a statement given on May 26, the NBI revealed that whatever the fatalities had ingested can be described as "explosive". It was potent enough to damage the heart and internal organs of the victims, which showed signs of ruptured tissues and blood vessels. According to the medico-legal officer assigned to the case, the autopsy results were unusual and it was his "first time to witness a severe form of organ damage". All parts of the heart were greatly damaged; the heart turned from pink in color to brown, red and black. The NBI also clarified that heart attack was not the only cause of the deaths, but also the simultaneous failure of internal organs — swelling of the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

intestines The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans ...

spleen The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The word spleen comes .

and

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...

s. On June 7, the PNP Crime Laboratory confirmed that the

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...

-based

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

s ''para''-Methoxyamphetamine and

methylenedioxyamphetamine 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (also known as MDA and sass) is an empathogen-entactogen, psychostimulant, and psychedelic drug of the amphetamine family that is encountered mainly as a recreational drug. In terms of pharmacology, MDA acts ...

were found on the bodies of Migawa and Miller, in addition to traces of methylenedioxycathinone found on Migawa.

Suspects

On the morning of May 28, 2016, the NBI in coordination with the

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA, , ; Filipino: ''Ahensiya ng Pilipinas sa Pagpapatupad ng Batas Laban sa Bawal na Gamot'') is the lead anti-drug law enforcement agency, responsible for preventing, investigating and combating any ...

(PDEA) arrested 23-year-old Joshua Habalo in an entrapment operation at a club at the Remington Hotel, located within the

Resorts World Manila Newport World Resorts (formerly Resorts World Manila) is an integrated resort, located in Newport City, opposite Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. The resort is owned and operated by Tra ...

complex in Pasay. According to Senior Investigator Salvador Arteche Jr., Habalo offered the undercover NBI operatives five tablets of pink ecstasy worth ₱1,500 before the operatives seized the tablets, in addition to five sachets of suspected

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

and another sachet of three green capsules suspected to be the "green amore", the

designer drug A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. Des ...

believed to have been sold at the concert which the five victims may have taken. The NBI and the PDEA have said that Habalo will be charged of

drug possession The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...

and selling of drugs under the

Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 Comprehensive may refer to: *Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client. *Comprehensive school, a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement o ...

. On June 1, 2016, the NBI arrested in a buy bust operation five persons allegedly involved in the sale of illegal drugs at the CloseUp ''Forever Summer'' concert. Arrested were Marc Deen, his wife Erica Valbuena, Thomas Halili, Martin Dimacali and Seergeoh Villanueva (alias Gio). During the buy bust operation conducted in

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque ( fil, Lungsod ng Parañaque, ), is a first class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to t ...

, Atty. Joel Tovera, chief of the NBI's Anti-Illegal Drugs Division, said it was Villanueva who handed a small medicine bottle containing 10 pieces of ecstasy pills after receiving the marked money. The NBI agents proceeded to the condominium unit where Deen was waiting for his share of the proceeds of the ecstasy sale. Inside Deen's condominium unit was a kitchen type laboratory where the illegal drugs were being manufactured. Also recovered in the operation were synthetic materials, various drug paraphernalia and a manual on making illegal drugs such as methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, D-lysergic acid diethylamide and gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) or liquid ecstasy.

Reactions

In a statement posted on their official

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page,

CloseUp A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long ...

extended their sympathies to the families of the fatalities, and vowed to extend medical assistance support so the victims may fully recover. Then presumptive

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

-elect

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

called a press conference on May 26 in response to the concert deaths. He questioned how illegal drugs entered the concert, despite police presence. He also called for reshuffling of police and military personnel, and increased security during concerts to prevent illegal drugs from being smuggled into the event. Senator

Tito Sotto Vicente Castelo Sotto III (; born August 24, 1948), professionally known as Tito Sotto, is a Filipino politician, entertainer and athlete who served as Senate President from 2018 to 2022. Before that, had two stints each as Senate Majority Lea ...

said in a privilege speech in the Senate that the use of the over-the-counter drug "Wari-Activ" (muscle pain killer, also known as laughing gas) is one of the reasons for the death of 5 people in the concert.

Aftermath

On February 1, 2017, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) formally charged the executives of

Unilever Philippines Unilever Philippines, Inc. is the Philippines, Philippine subsidiary of British Multinational corporation, multinational company, Unilever. It is based in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig since 2016. It is a manufacturer of laundry detergents an ...

and their event organizers for criminal negligence before the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. The NBI, representing several relatives of the victims, has said the respondents are criminally liable based on the responsible officer doctrine "for they held a position of responsibility and authority in their respective corporations, and had the ability to prevent the unwanted incidents but failed to do so."

References