"Influential people" giving aid to fallen drug suspect?

HILONGOS, LEYTE, Philippines  – Some “influential” people, known among locals here to have links with powerful politicians outside of this town, have visited the town’s police station several times recently in an apparent attempt to help Antonio Dadula who was caught in a drug buy bust operations earlier.

The lawyer, who is working with a government agency unrelated to prosecution of cases, repeatedly asked Chief Insp. Ramil Amodia, chief of the Hilongos Police, for a certified true copy of the spot report detailing Dadula’s arrest.

Whatever reasons the lawyer may have in acquiring the police report, these were not disclosed. Amodia wondered about the intention but he, without any question, acceded to the lawyer’s request considering the report was a public document.

Residents of this town, who claimed to be well familiar with the lawyer, alleged to The FREEMAN that he was known to be a facilitator in the handling of cases of suspects in illegal fishing, gambling and drugs in the past.

The 48-year-old Dadula, a native of the neighboring town of Inopacan, has been a familiar figure too in the political scene. He ran but lost in the last barangay elections even if a powerful politician was behind his bid, claimed a reliable source who requested anonymity.

Dadula was caught in Hilongos last December 6 during a drug bust operation carried out jointly by teams of the Hilongos Police, led by Amodia, and the Leyte Provincial Police Office intelligence division, led by Chief Insp. Jesus Son.

The police teams tailed Dadula from Inopacan up to Hilongos where he was arrested. Seized from his control and possession were tea bags of dried marijuana, medium size sachets of suspected shabu, P100 bill in marked money, cellphone and his maroon owner-type jeep (with plate no. NLB436).

The police brought him and the confiscated items for laboratory examinations at the PNP Crime Lab in Tacloban City, while his jeep was impounded at the Hilongos Police Station.

“If positive, the suspect will not be able to post bail as the police will file a case against him for violation of section 5 (selling drugs) and section 11(using drugs) under Republic Act 9165,” said Son.

A report the other day from Amodia stated that Dadula was brought back to this town for detention. “Though Dadula was from Inopacan, he was caught in our jurisdiction, that’s why the witnesses during the inventory were councilmen of Barangay Lamak in Hilongos where he was caught,” he said.

Amodia, who was unfazed over the perceived workings of some influential hands dipping into the case of Dadula, said, “We’ve been doubling our efforts to sustain the directive of Mayor Jose Emery Roble to curb all illegal activities in Hilongos.” (FREEMAN)