CEBU CITY – President Duterte has ordered the immediate arrest of the boyfriend of the 19-year-old girl who died of party drug overdose last Jan. 20.
Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas, said Duterte called him up to order the arrest of Nel Spencer Tiu.
Tiu is the boyfriend of Ashley Abad, who died after passing out in a concert last Jan. 19 at the Cebu Business Park. The girl died in a hospital the following day.
Sinas said that based on the autopsy report, Abad died of ecstasy overdose.
Sinas said the President gave the instruction after Abad’s family met him last Feb. 7 in Malacanang.
Tiu has yet to show up since the incident even after the police requested him to help shed light on the incident.
Sinas said that based on their initial investigation, Abad was with six companions, including her boyfriend, during the concert.
If the boyfriend continues to evade, the PRO 7 will ask PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde to use his subpoena power to summon Tiu.
“We will arrest Tiu if he turns down the summon,” said Sinas.
Sinas said police are mulling to file homicide charges against Tiu and the other persons liable for the girl’s death.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas is also awaiting for the official result of the autopsy. “The PNP may have obtained an advance information regarding the result of the autopsy. But we have not gotten one yet. Once we get a copy, we will make our own move,” said Leia Albiar, PDEA Region 7 spokesperson.
Albiar said PDEA Region 7 will file charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 or Republic Act 9165 against the persons involved in Abad’s death. “We will have a jurisdiction in the case once we have the copy of the autopsy result. We will intensify our investigation once we have it because the medical report from the hospital won’t suffice in filing charges,” said Albiar. (Calvin Cordova)
