Cops: Abad’s BF to face charges

Despite Duterte’s revelation

CEBU, Philippines — Police investigators will continue with their plans to file a case against the boyfriend of 19-year-old party drug overdose victim Ashley Abad despite President Rodrigo Duterte's revelation that it was reportedly Ashley who supplied ecstasy.

"Walang koneksyon ang sinabi ni President sa filing of the case, we will stick on the evidence na nakuha namin," Cebu City Police Office director Senior Superintendent Royina Garma told reporters in an ambush interview yesterday.

"I cannot comment on the statements of the President he has his own sources," she said.

Duterte, last Wednesday, in his speech at the Malacañang Palace, indicated he wanted to share the sorrow of the parents who lost their only daughter.

However, Duterte knew as reported on GMA News TV network that forensic examination of Ashley's cellphone revealed Ashley was the one with a stash of ecstasy.

"Nagreklamo sila, they want justice. Pero nakita nila. Na-recover ng forensics examination pati ‘yung… She was the one who was actually texting another girl na maghati sila doon kasi ‘yung isa reserba niya para sa kanyang boyfriend, ‘yung missing until now,"

"And to make a long shot guess na galing sa boyfriend. Eh siya ‘yung may hawak eh. Siya nga nagsabi doon sa text para ito sa boyfriend niya. So hindi ma-ano sa nanay pati tatay na...I wanted to cry with them," Duterte was quoted in the report of GMA News TV.

Police Regional Office-7 Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas said publicly that Nel Spencer Tiu and six other friends may have given Ashley the drug.

However, Tiu is considered as a person of interest and may face homicide charges.

To recall, Ashley collapsed in a pre-Sinulog party and died the next day due to ecstasy overdose and other toxics which caused internal organ failure, based on the histopathology results revealed by Sinas.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 Spokesperson Leia Albiar-Alcantara told The FREEMAN they have to reserve the comments prior to the police’s final results of the investigation.

"Dili lang usa mi mo-release ug comment while ongoing ang investigation - them being the lead," Alcantara said. (FREEMAN)