BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—Relatives and friends of a Bacolod veterinarian were shocked to hear that he was being linked to a plot to assassinate Rodrigo Duterte, the man he supported for President.
“Bryan Ta-ala would not even think of killing anyone, much more plot to kill the President that is so far-fetched,” according to his uncle, Rodney Ta-ala, also a veterinarian.
“We were shocked to hear such accusation. It is just too much,” he added.
The veterinarian manages a family-owned Ta-ala Farms in Murcia town, Negros Occidental, a 40-hectare poultry that produces two-thirds of Negros Island’s egg needs, said his lawyer Leon Moya.
Ta-ala, 42, finished his elementary and secondary education at Trinity Christian School, and received his degree in veterinary medicine from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.
He also has a master’s degree in animal nutrition from UP Los Baños and is married with one daughter, Rodney said.
“Bryan is a quite sort of person and a gun enthusiasts, but he would not sell guns to people plotting to kill the President,” he said.
Rodney stressed that the allegations against his nephew were not true.
Ta-ala and Wilford Palma were arrested on Aug. 6 by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), in coordination with the Police Regional Office on Negros Island in an operation against loose firearms at Villa Cristina Subdivision in Barangay (village) Tangub, Bacolod City.
READ: 2 men caught smuggling gun parts ‘for Duterte assassination’
Palma, who was brought by the CIDG to Camp Crame and was presented on Thursday by Director General Ronald dela Rosa, Philippine National Police chief, reportedly admitted being a member of a gun smuggling syndicate.
“Ang sabi sa akin ng boss ko, ‘yung number one customer namin may balak umorder ng lower end gun parts at gagamitin sa assassination ni President Duterte (My boss said our number one client planned to order lower end gun parts to be used in the assassination of President Duterte),” Palma told reporters in Manila.
Ta-ala was not brought to Manila.
After his arrest, he was confined at a hospital in Bacolod City due to hypertension.
Rodney said Palma worked at the Ta-ala Farms office.
But he added they did not know what caused him to falsely link Ta-ala to an assassination plot.
READ: Lawyer slams attempt to link vet Bryan Ta-ala to Duterte slay plot
“Wilford is a good guy. We do not know what he underwent (at the CIDG) to say such things,” Rodney said.
Dr. Renante Decena, Negros Occidental provincial veterinarian, said he knows Ta-ala as a professional who has a master’s degree in animal nutrition.
No formal charges had been filed against his client who had not undergone inquest proceedings until Friday, said Moya.
“The law states that upon apprehension, you should be brought to the local police of the same locality for inquest. Failure to do that means you can accuse the apprehending officer of bad faith and gross negligence,” he said.
Moya pointed out that Ta-ala was arrested last Saturday and an inquest prosecutor was available. “Why did the CIDG or police fail to submit him to inquest,” he asked.
Moya also asked why Palma did not implicate Ta-ala in his affidavit on Aug. 8 but linked the veterinarian during the press conference on Thursday.
He noted that Palma, his wife and daughter have been in the custody of the CIDG. RAM/rga