The female owner of the apartment rented by arrested P/Supt. Ma. Cristina Nobleza cleared her name of any involvement in the latter’s activities, which may have included a bombing plot, but admitted that a contact of the policewoman is her husband’s cousin.
Bedalynda Apduhan, 55, told DYRD Balita that she had no involvement and knowledge on the plans of Nobleza and suspected Abu Sayyaf Group bomber Renierlo Dongon who allegedly had bomb parts in their rented apartment in Bohol and were in the province to rescue the remaining ASG stragglers.
According to Apduhan, she did not know personally who Nobleza and her companions were when they rented her apartment in Barangay Looc, Panglao starting April 17, five days prior to the Saturday clash in Clarin where the policewoman and Dongon were also caught by security forces.
However, Apduhan’s cousin-in-law, P/Chief. Insp. Josephine Clemen, called her on April 15 and asked her to accommodate Nobleza at her apartment.
Apduhan said she obliged despite the establishment being fully-booked during the originally designated time of arrival of Nobleza on April 16.
According to Apduhan, Clemen previously worked with Nobleza at the Bicol Region crime lab before the latter was transferred to Davao Region.
The two kept in touch despite Nobleza’s reassignment, Apduhan added.
Contrary to the initially expected three guests who will arrive on April 16, Nobleza checked in on the morning of April 17 as a party of four whihc included Dongon, a teenage girl and an elderly woman.
Nobleza paid a down payment of P4,000 upon their arrival.
Apduhan said that she did not worry on the suspects’ and their companions’ identities as she knew that Nobleza was a police officer.
A day after their arrival, Nobleza reportedly told Apduhan that she will be leaving for Metro Manila to attend a training at Camp Crame until April 22, while Dongon and the two others were left behind.
The three reportedly did not leave their room during the next days, while Apduhan said she only saw Dongon once but he also immediately went back inside.
Nobleza returned to the apartment on April 22 only to tell Apduhan that they will be leaving for Cagayan and ask her where they could purchase boat tickets.
Dongon, Nobleza and the two others left on the same day but did not leave their room key while some of their things were left inside their rented apartment.
This aroused Apduhan’s suspicion as she questioned why they had to leave their things when they had a long travel ahead, but will then be going back to the apartment to get their belongings.
According to Apduhan, she found out that Nobleza had been arrested on Sunday as she was notified by policemen in Panglao.
This prompted Apduhan to open Nobleza’s rented apartment using a spare key and enter the room where she found the suspecte’ bags, which later on was discovered to have contained bomb-making materials.
According to the Bohol police Provincial Intelligence Branch, their team along with policemen in Panglao found a C-4 plastic explosive, a detonating cord, a blasting cap, and a blasting cap kit at the apartment of Nobleza.
Nobleza and Dongon on Tuesday had been flown to Metro Manila to be detained at Camp Crame on orders of Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa who tagged the two as “lovers” and “high-risk detainees.”
Both were collared by army troops in Barangay Bacani, Clarin on Saturday after they drove past a police security checkpoint while a firefight between government troops and at least four ASG men was ongoing in said village.
The clash left four bandits dead while Nobleza, Dongon and their two companions were taken into police custody.
Authorities allegedly found in Nobleza’s possession a cellphone which contained messages from one of the ASG stragglers in the province who was asking to be rescued while a first aid kit, diving gear, food, clothes and energy drinks were recovered from her Nissan Navara which Dongon was driving when they were flagged down by police and taken into their custody. (Allen Doydora)