Surprised goat farmer gets P1M for tip on Dayan

Lawyer Ferdie Topacio (second from right) shows media the P1 million reward for the tipster (with head covered) who led to the arrest of Ronnie Dayan. MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

A goat farmer yesterday received the P1-million reward put up by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) for providing the information that led to the arrest of Ronnie Dayan on Tuesday after a chase in a rice field in La Union province.

The turnover of the reward money at the House of Representatives happened at the same time Dayan, Sen. Leila de Lima’s former bodyguard-lover and alleged bagman, was testifying before the justice committee.

Dayan had gone into hiding after he was summoned to appear in the committee’s hearing last month, prompting the issuance of a warrant against him. Following his arrest, the committee resumed its hearing into allegations that De Lima received payoffs from drug lords when  she was justice secretary.

A white cloth shrouded the face of the anonymous farmer, with only his grizzled chin showing. The man could not speak Tagalog and spoke sparingly as his body shook with anxiety.

Insp. Olarte Kayob, who interpreted his statements, told reporters that the informant was herding his goats when he spotted Dayan. Kayob did not say how or why the farmer recognized Dayan. The farmer claimed he did not know there was a reward for what he did.

Ferdinand Topacio, counsel for the VACC, which put up the reward money contributed by the organization and seven businessmen, said he would presume that contrary to reports, the informant was not a relative of Dayan because he neither shared the surname nor middle name of Palisoc. But he said this was now irrelevant.

“Our purpose is to reward him for doing the right thing and for helping not only Congress but the country as well in arriving at the truth of this legislative inquiry,” Topacio said.

Turnover ceremony

In contrast to the informant’s nerve-wracked appearance, the turnover ceremony itself was rather lighthearted, as the House leaders took the time out to join the VACC in handing over a Starbucks paper bag containing the 10 cash bundles of P100,000 each.

Topacio gave the farmer a copy of BizNewsAsia magazine’s late October issue whose cover story is titled “Destroying De Lima.”

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa, who was present in the turnover, declined to elaborate on how the PNP received the information that led to Dayan’s arrest.

But Dela Rosa stressed that he was standing by the official police report that Dayan was arrested after a chase in a rice field in La Union. Reports have quoted local residents denying that such a chase took place.

“I have complete trust in my personnel that that’s what they did,” he said. “Whatever their story is, it’s up to them. The burden of proof lies with those who claim there was no chase.”