Basilan village chiefs accuse vice mayoral bet of feeding them poison food

ISABELA CITY – Barangay officials here planned to file an attempted homicide case against Isabela City Councilor Faigdar Jaafar, a candidate for vice mayor in the city, for allegedly feeding them poisoned food on the eve of the elections.

Police Col. William Gadayan, chief of Isabela City police, said Timhar A. Igasan, the barangay captain of Riverside, reported that he, along with two other barangay chairmen, Tammy Ismael of Sumagdang and Taib Dagam of Kaumpurnah Zone 1, was rushed to the Infante Hospital at 12:30 a.m., May 13.

Igasan claimed they suffered from food poisoning after having dinner (bukka) in Jaafar’s house in Barangay Marketsite here on Sunday evening.

In his statement to the police, Igasan said they felt dizzy within minutes after having this dinner and decided to leave Jaafar’s house.

Igasan said he started vomiting upon reaching his house and found out that the same happened to the two other village chiefs. The three were immediately rushed to the hospital by their respective families.

While Igasan and Ismael were able to recover, Dagam is in critical condition and has been transferred to a hospital in Zamboanga City, Gadayan said.

Lawyer Quirino Esguerra, counsel for the three village chiefs, claimed Jaafar had the “intent to kill the barangay chairs.”

“He invited the three and fed them food laced with poison,” claimed the lawyer.

Jaafar, a lawyer, however, said Igasan’s allegations were unfounded.

“This is baseless. They are my friends but belonging to other party. I have no motive to do such an act. Also, I am informed by the PNP that it’s a negative finding (for food poisoning),” Jaafar said in a  text message.

He admitted serving finger foods which he bought from the market “just to break the (Ramadhan) fast.”

Jaafar said he invited 10 friends on May 12 to break the fast with him,  but only the three village chiefs got ill. (Editor: Leti Z. Boniol)