He merely wanted to buy a goat in the boondocks of La Union but came out richer by P1 million a few days later.
The La Union farmer who led police to the hideout of Ronnie Dayan was clearly shaking as he received from leaders of the House of Representatives and officials of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption 10 bundles of P100,000 in P1,000 at the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City yesterday.
His face covered to hide his identity, the man spoke in his native Ilocano during a press conference and revealed that he noticed “Dodong,” Dayan’s nickname when he went to Sitio Bato, Barangay Lagong, San Gabriel, La Union to buy a goat.
The informant said he noticed a new hut in the area and inquired from his friend, a certain Boy Domingo, who owned it. Domingo replied that it was Dodong’s.
When pressed to explain how he knew Dayan’s physical features, the informant refused to respond, thereby, triggering speculations that it was Domingo who volunteered the information.
The unnamed informant, who is married and a resident of San Gabriel, also failed to respond whether or not he was aware that a P1 million reward has been offered for Dayan’s arrest.
Speculations were raised about the alleged informant’s identity, with certain quarters claiming that he is a distant relative of Dayan.
VACC lawyer Ferdinand Topacio admitted there may be basis to believe that the offer of reward money may have fasttracked the search for Dayan.
“But I believe the police and all other law enforcement agencies exerted their best to hunt him down,” Topacio said.
According to Topacio, the P1-million reward was voluntarily given to the VACC by friends and other concerned citizens who wanted to know the truth about Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s supposed involvement in the reported drug trafficking operations at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City during her term as Justice Secretary.
During the turnover of the cash reward, PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” M. de la Rosa joked that the informant can share some of his money to the police as reward for their efforts in arresting Dayan.
Topacio later clarified that under VACC policy, law enforcement agents are not entitled to cash rewards offered by the anti-crime group for the solution of crimes and the arrest of suspects. (Ben R. Rosario)