After the President vowed to bring justice to a 19-year-old that died while attending a pre-Sinulog party last month, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA’s) autopsy report confirmed that the victim died from drug overdose.
This after Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas, Police Regional Office (PRO)-Central Visayas Director reported the PDEA’s findings on the death of Ashley Abad, a nursing student. Though the report will be forwarded to their office next week, it says that Abad’s cause of death was overdose from ecstasy.
According to the officer, the victim’s boyfriend, Nel Spencer Tiu, is their “primary suspect” and that they will be asking the subpoena power of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde to summon him.
“If dili siya mu show up, after the subpoena, damputon namo siya (If he does not show up, after the subpoena, we will arrest him),” Sinas added.
Abad was reportedly with her boyfriend and friends when they attended a concert at the Cebu Business Park on January 19, when she collapsed at the venue. Though she was brought to the hospital, she died a day after.
Sinas also admitted that the case was frustrating as Tiu and Abad’s other companions refused to cooperate with the police’s investigation.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte directly got involved in Abad’s case, questioning in a speech last Friday, February 8, why human rights groups are ‘silent’ over her death when they continue to throw tirades on his campaign against illegal drugs.
“Kahapon ‘yung kay Ashley, ‘yung bata na namatay (Yesterday, Ashley, the teen who died, [her]) parents went there sa opisina ko (to my office). Kaganda na bata (What a beautiful lass). Nineteen years old. Medical student. Ang human rights [groups], wala akong narinig sa mga p*tang i**** ‘yan (I cannot hear anything from human rights groups, these motherf******),” Duterte had said.
The Chief Executive stressed that Abad’s case an example of how illegal drugs can destroy the lives of the youth.
Though the President did not reveal more details on his meeting with the Abad family, Sinas said that the filing of criminal charges against Tiu and the other identified companions in the party are from an order by Duterte.
Abad’s remains were laid to rest last January 27.