By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
In response to media reports claiming Moises Padilla police were encountering difficulty tracking down wanted Moises Padilla Vice Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo and her husband, Felix Mathias Segundo Yulo, due to intervention by Task Force Kasanag (TFK), the organization’s national commander, John Chiong, denied the allegations.
“Task Force Kasanag does not hide and harbor those facing charges in court,” he affirmed.
The La Carlota City Regional Trial Court-Branch 63 recently issued a warrant of arrest against the city official and her spouse following their arrest last year at a police checkpoint.
The TFK official, however, did admit to assisting the couple in filing a complaint against the police following their initial arrest.
“That was it,” Chiong stated. “We only facilitated when they asked our help – nothing more than that!”
Meanwhile, Moises Padilla Police Station director, Police Chief Inspector Edfel Balibadlan, said they are still unable to locate the whereabouts of the couple. The pair reportedly have not been seen in town since last Friday, when law enforcement visited their home to serve the arrest warrant.
The warrants were issued for alleged violations to RA 9516, an amendment to Presidential Decree No. 1866, which systemized gun laws and imposed stiffer penalties for violators; along with RA 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Balibadlan said they still have five days to implement the order.
The charges stemmed from two fragmentation grenades, other firearms, and illegal drugs recovered from Garcia-Yulo’s vehicle after Moises Padilla municipal police chief, then under Police Chief Inspector Alan Reloj, conducted a search at a police checkpoint last December.
The suspected illegal drugs were later found to be “fake” following close examination at the Provincial Crime Laboratory.
Garcia-Yulo, meanwhile, filed a counter-affidavit following the arrest, claiming the allegations were based “purely on highly malicious, erroneous, and fabricated accusations.”/DGB, WDJ