POLICE Regional Office-Davao (PRO-Davao) Regional Director General Alden Delvo revealed that returning Barangay Captain of Vicente Hizon Ralph Abella had already requested security escorts even before he received death threats.
“I have not yet spoken to him but there were reports before that there were threats but he already has security escorts. I think the hepe [of the police station] kung asa sya na belong, naghatag ta og security escorts since nangayo man sya. I think that was last week pa (I think the chief of the police station where he belongs provided security escorts for him since he requested it. I think that was last week),” Delvo said during an ambush interview at the sidelines of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) 2023 at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (DRANHS) on October 30.
Further investigations are ongoing and other legal procedures will be conducted to file the case in court. However, both Sasa Police Station chief commander, Police Major Carol Jabagat and Police Corporal Ariel Jake Batohanon who acts as the Investigator-On-Case (IOC) said that they have yet to release a final statement once the case is closed.
On Monday afternoon, election day, former city councilor Ralph Abella, wife of Davao City Second District Councilor Marissa Abella got a package wrapped in a red cellophane with life-threatening notes, a bullet, funeral flowers, and blood stains on it. The package was delivered to their residence at Nova Tierra Subdivision.
The note written in a capital case said: MAM MARISSA KONG GUSTO MO SA INYONG MGA ANAK WALAY MAWALA NINYO INGNA IMUHA BANA, RALPH, UNDANGON NIYA PAGFILE SA KASO. GUSTO MO ANG BUHAY KINABUHI NINYO IMPORTANTE (Ma’am Marissa if you and your children don’t want to lose any of you, tell your husband Ralph to stop filing the case. You want your life, your life is important).
In a radio interview, Coun. Marissa Abella said that it was the first time they had received threats ever since their family entered politics.
The barangay captain also had assumptions about the main person behind the package. According to him, one of his rivals in the barangay may have made the threat against him. DEF