BUSINESSMAN Bryan Ta-ala, who is facing charges for gun smuggling, has not been placed under the monitoring of the Bacolod City Police Office after he posted bail Thursday, September 8.
Senior Superintendent Flynn Dongbo, acting city police director, said Ta-ala is already a free man after he was ordered released by the Regional Trial Court.
Dongbo said Ta-ala’s party and the group of Senior Inspector Ariel Artillero, head of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Negros Occidental went to his office Thursday, following the incident that happened inside the Clerk of Court Office at the Hall of Justice.
There was tension when Artillero supposedly kicked the door and hit one of his men, who was guarding Ta-ala at the hospital as he insisted that he has an order from the higher command to put Ta-ala under arrest, but he cannot show a copy of the order.
Dongbo said he advised both parties to file a complaint if necessary.
Ta-ala did not ask for additional police assistance, he added.
Artillero refused to comment on the incident as he will directly submit a report to Philippine National Police headquarters.
Ta-ala is facing two counts of violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation.
He posted bail of P120,000 and P80,000 for each count, in the presence of his legal counsel Leon Moya. Ta-ala, who was placed under hospital arrest, was still wearing a hospital gown when he and his lawyer went to the Hall of Justice to post bail.
Ta-ala and his assistant Wilford Palma were arrested by personnel of CIDG-Negros Occidental at Atlas, Villa Cristina Subdivision in Barangay Tangub in Bacolod City last August 6.
The police seized from their possession a box containing smuggled gun parts from the United States worth about of P4.5 million.
After his arrest, Ta-ala was admitted at the hospital for hypertension while Palma underwent inquest proceedings before the State Prosecutor’s Office at the Department of Justice on August 8.
Last September 1, Palma was presented by PNP chief Director General Ronald de la Rosa during a press in Camp Crame.
Palma then admitted being a member of a gun smuggling group, adding that their “number one” customer ordered several gun parts which will allegedly be used for the assassination of President Rodrigo Duterte.
