Pastor, Brgy. Councilor who are alleged members of crime group nabbed in Bohol
BAYAN Central Visayas says both were illegally arrested
Carmilo Tabada, a barangay councilor in Barangay Poblacion, was arrested with a unit of .45 caliber pistol, a piece of 9 mm machine pistol KG9 with live ammunition, a hand grenade, and subversive documents during the joint operation headed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Region 7. | contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines—An incumbent barangay councilor and a pastor, who are alleged members of the TABADA crime group and communist-terrorist group (CTG), were nabbed via virtue of search warrants in separate operations past 1 a.m. on Friday, June 25, 2021, in Bohol.
Operatives identified that two suspects as Carmilo Tabada, a barangay councilor in Barangay Poblacion, Trinidad Bohol, and Pastor Nathaniel Vallente, a resident of Barangay San Jose in Mabini Bohol. Both were served with search warrants for violation of Section 28 of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
At around 1:40 a.m. on Friday, a joint operation spearheaded by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) led to the arrest of Tabada, 51, an incumbent barangay councilor of Barangay Poblacion, who is tagged as the leader of TABADA crime group engaged in gun-running activities in Bohol and allegedly an active member of a CTG.
The search warrant served against Tabada was issued by Judge Azucena Macalolot-Credo, Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Talibon in Bohol last June 21.
The serving of this search warrant resulted to the confiscation of a unit of .45 caliber pistol, a piece of 9 mm machine pistol KG9 with live ammunition, a hand grenade, and subversive documents.
The said operation was witnessed by some of the barangay officials of barangay Poblacion in Trinidad, Bohol. Tabada is currently detained in Trinidad Police Station while a case for violation of RA 10591 and RA 9516 was being prepared.
Almost an hour after the arrest of Tabada, Vallente, 52, who is also tagged as a member of TABADA crime group, was arrested in Purok 5, Barangay San Jose in Mabini, Bohol.
Vallente was arrested in a joint operation conducted by forces of the CIDG-7, Regional Mobile Force Batallion 7, Bohol Police Provincial Office, Special Action Force, and the 47th Infantry Batallion of the Philippine Army via virtue of a search warrant for violation of Section 28 of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Pastor Nathaniel Vallente is arrested in Purok 5, Barangay San Jose in Mabini, Bohol. | contributed photo
Operatives seized at least four firearms with live ammunition, one hand grenade, and some subversive documents from Vallente.
Operatives served a search warrant against Vallente that was issued last June 24 by Judge Leo Moises Lison, Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 3, in Tagbilaran City, in Bohol.
Vallente is currently detained at the Mabini Police Station waiting as police prepare his case for violation of RA 10591 and RA 9516.
Tabada and Vallente were two of the target personalities of CIDG Bohol Provincial Field Unit’s (PFU) in apprehending leaders and members of the said crime group. These operations were in line with the Oplan Paglalansag Omega and Salikop in relation to Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) of CIDG-7.
Planted
Meanwhile, BAYAN Central Visayas released a statement regarding the arrest of the two ‘peasant advocates’.
The statement said both Tabada and Vallente were illegally arrested.
According to the statement, operatives reportedly planted the firearms and explosives confiscated from the two.
Here is the full statement of BAYAN Central Visayas sent to members of the media on Friday morning:
URGENT ALERT: Two peasant advocates illegally arrested in Bohol in midnight raids today, June 25.
At 1:00am, Carmilo Tabada, a barangay councilor and the program coordinator for Bohol of the NGO Central Visayas Farmers Development Center (FARDEC) was arrested in his home in Trinidad, Bohol. PNP-CIDG and the AFP reportedly planted firearms and explosives.
In March 2021, Tabada was subjected to red-tagging through an anti-communist rally conducted outside his home, where the rallyists also claimed he was hiding firearms. Since this incident, red-tagging and surveillance against him has increased.
FARDEC has been red-tagged by government agencies in 2019. Its Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator Elena Tijamo was abducted from her home in June 2020 and remains missing to this day.
(Read FARDEC statement here: https://www.facebook.com/288161577978840/posts/3836662076462088/ )
At 3:00am today, combined forces of the PNP and the AFP also arrested UCCP pastor Nathaniel Vallente in his home in San Jose, Mabini, Bohol. Firearms and explosives were also reportedly planted against him.
Vallente is an active counselor of farmers’ organization Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa San Jose (NAMASAJO) and a leader of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR).
NAMASAJO is a registered farmers’ org under the DOLE and accredited by the LGU.
/bmjo
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