“The Tourist” storyline failed to appease Boholanos as it smells of a ruse in the effort to simplify the police inside job in the Abu Sayyaf labyrinth.

Police Supt. Maria Cristina Nobleza, deputy chief of the Davao Region Crime Laboratory, came with three Abu Sayyaf-linked individuals to obviously rescue Joselito Melloria and seven other Abu Sayyaf members who had survived from the Inabanga clash on April 11.

She was with one of the trained bomb makers of Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao, identified as Renoor Lou Dongon; an elderly woman whose children married ASG leaders such as Zulkifli Abdhir alias “Marwan,” Khadaffy Abubakar Janjalani, Abu Sulayman al-Muhajir and Ahmed Santos; and a teenager who turned out to be Santos’ child.

Dongon had been wanted for double murder following the bombing in Cagayan de Oro City in 2012 which killed two persons.

Gov. Edgar Chatto said he believes there are strong pieces of evidence that will pin down Nobleza’s active involvement with the ASG.

Chatto expressed disappointment on the turn of events which has no other interpretation but an inside job that made things clearer why the Mindanao-based terrorists had lingered for years until they found their way to Bohol.

He said it is ironic that instead of defending the people, a ranking official who is not from Bohol betrayed the people.

Chatto believes that higher officials of PNP are also disappointed that a female ranking official sullied the name of the PNP.

“I know how dedicated the PNP and the Army are in defending the people. In fact, some of their men died defending Bohol. The betrayal of this female ranking official surely disappoints the higher officials of the PNP,” according to Chatto.

Dela Rosa’s theory that 49-year-old Nobleza just got into the picture because of her love for Dongon was rejected by the civil society of Bohol.

Boholanos instead aired their concerns through social media, calling for investigation on an obvious inside job in the PNP that allowed Abu Sayyaf to gain backdoor support through the years.

Dela Rosa traced the love affair timeline starting from 2013, under the Aquino administration, when he said Dongon “was detained at the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) after he was arrested in Marawi and brought to Manila, for figuring behind a bombing incident” and that Nobleza who was then assigned at the PAOCC was tasked to interrogate Dongon”.

However, reactions from various Boholano sectors posted on social media raised doubt, considering that the sim card recovered from Nobleza contained a message that gave her a go-signal to proceed to Clarin on April 22 when the second round of gunfight on that day erupted between government troops and the rest of Melloria’s ASG comrades in barangay Caboy.

Melloria was killed on the first round of the clash at noontime. Three of his comrades were killed in the second round launched at 7:45 p.m.

Almost at the same time the second round of the firefight, the back-up teams for the soldiers and police officers manning the checkpoint in barangay Bacani blocked Nobleza’s Nissan Navara pickup drove past the checkpoint.

Dongon was the one driving the black Navara.

Their vehicle was held at the Clarin police station while the gunbattle with the remaining ASG men was ongoing. Interrogation was conducted the following day after verifying the identities of the passengers of the Navara pickup.

The black Navara with plate no. FGN 270 is registered in Nobleza’s name in LTO-Bacolod, according to reports.

At 7 p.m., the municipal police team opened the vehicle and recovered bottles of energy drink, canned goods, diving gear, goggles, biscuits, male underwear, T-shirts, shorts for men, first aide kits, firearms, rounds of ammunitions, cellphones, and sim cards.

Nobleza tried to convince interrogators that they were just on tour in Bohol.

However, PNP regional director Noli Taliño raised suspicion why the need to bring along a medical kit, and theorized that it is definitely intended for the wounded.

Nobleza has been relieved from her post as deputy director of the Davao Regional Police Office’s Crime Laboratory and is now assigned to the national headquarters in Camp Crame pending investigations on her case.

MORE THAN JUST

A WOMAN IN LOVE

The extent of Nobleza’s investment in terror-linked items shows she was more than just a woman in love.

On April 24, CIDG Bohol conducted an inquest proceeding against Nobleza for illegal possession of firearms under of RA 10591 and PD 1829 at the Provincial Prosecutors Office.

Likewise, an inquest proceeding was conducted by Provincial Prosecutor Marcelina Limpot against Dongon, Judith Dongon and Nobleza for violation of the Revised Penal Code, particularly obstruction of justice, and resistance and disobedience to agent of person in authority.

It was learned Nobleza has been relieved from her post as deputy director of the Davao Regional Police Office’s Crime Laboratory following her arrest in Bohol with an alleged member of Abu Sayyaf.

“At about 9:30 p.m. of April 24, 2017 personnel from the intelligence branch of the Bohol Police Provincial Office led by PSInsp. Jojit Mananquil and Panglao police team led by PSInsp. Jomar Pomarejos, conducted a follow-up investigation at the apartment in barangay Looc, Panglao where the Nobleza and company had rented before their arrest in Clarin.

The investigation led to the recovery of what appears to be a C4 detonating cord, blasting cap and blasting cap kit and personal belongings.

The Invesntory was conducted at Panglao police station, BPPO in the presence of Paulino Apduhan, owner of the apartment and barangay officials.

Nobleza and Dongo were brought to Camp Crame for proper disposition, while the elderly woman is also in police custody and the child was turned over to the DSWD.

PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa made the “love story” angle to explain how a ranking police officer got into the Abu Sayyaf circle.

However, Bohol residents refuse to just accept hook, line and sinker as obviously the Abu Sayyaf recruitment is not as easy as The Tourist storyline like how Bato paints the picture.

Also on Monday night, PNP personnel and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) team in Northern Mindanao raided Nobleza’s property in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, based on a search and seizure warrant.

The raid yielded one M16 rifle, seven M16 magazines, a caliber .45 pistol with 1 magazine loaded and 7 cartridges, 218 cartridges for M16 riffle, one M16 bandolier, a yellow timer suspected to be used for an improvised explosive devise, bomb component for an improvised explosive device, soldering iron, 66 non-electric blasting caps,one piece of 9-volt battery, 1 piece tester, and assorted subversive documents pertaining terrorist activities.

Nobleza will face additional charges following the discovery of firearms and explosives during the raid.

A certain Al Mohammar Bayani, a 22-year-old native of Lanao del Norte, and two minors were present during the raid.

Bayani was interrogated by the police, while the minors were turned over to the DSWD.

DISGUISE

The police learned that Nobleza and companions arrived Panglao on April 17, six days after the Inabanga clash.

The ASG lost Mouamar Askali or Abu Rami, the notorious ASG sub-leader known for kidnapping, Alyas Abu Sufyan who was a bomb expert, and two other members in the Inabanga clash

According to witnesses, Nobleza and her three companions rented an apartment in barangay Looc, at least 100 meters from the police station and 10 meters from the Barangay Hall.

The apartment owner attested that Nobleza registered her own name.

A habal-habal driver had also attested that he had conveyed Nobleza and Dongon to the Panglao public market where the two bought fish and returned to the apartment.

Those living nearby the apartment said, the black Nissan Navara with plate number FGN-270 arrived at the apartment in the wee hours.

They were just like other tourists who toured Bohol as a family, but they noticed that the elderly woman and the teenager who was with them never go out of the apartment.

The apartment owner said Nobleza and Dongon has informed that they would check out on Saturday and planned to go to Jagna town or Cebu province.