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Arrest or surrender? Ronnie Dayan recounts turn of events

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Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/11/22/ronnie-dayan-jc-112016.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Ronnie Dayan. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA – Was he arrested or did he surrender?</p><p>Ronnie Dayan, the former driver-lover and alleged bagman of Senator Leila de Lima, on Tuesday narrated the circumstances that led to him finally being taken into police custody on Tuesday.</p><p>Dayan had been in hiding for months after being tagged by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte in the drug trade.</p><p>He has been accused of receiving money from drug lords at the New Bilibid Prison for her boss, who supposedly used the payoffs for her senatorial bid. De Lima has denied the allegations.</p><p>ABS-CBN News earlier reported that Dayan surrendered to authorities.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1461470" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><p>At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Dayan&#x27;s family went to the police to ask for assistance because he wanted to surrender, according to ABS-CBN reporter Lady Vicencio.</p><p>Vicencio said authorities then went to Bacnotan in La Union, where Dayan was &quot;waiting&quot; for them to pick him up. At around 11 a.m., joint forces of the Pangasinan and La Union police arrived in the area.</p><p>Dayan was reportedly sitting in the middle of a bare field because he was so tired from running so he told his family to ask the police to pick him up there. And when he saw a marked police mobile </p><p>approaching, he stood up and raised his hands to surrender. Police then approached him, along with his family members.</p><div><strong>‘DAYAN WAS ARRESTED’</strong></div><p>Dela Rosa, in a news conference where he presented Dayan for the first time, however, debunked the report that Dayan surrendered.</p><p>Dayan himself confirmed he hid in the mountains until he was arrested.</p><p>“Ang dami kong sugat sa pakikipaghabulan sa kanila. Pero nahirapan sila sa akin, nahirapan sila ng ilang oras. Masukal ang bundok,” Dayan said.</p><p>(I sustained many wounds from running away from them. But they had a hard time chasing me in the mountains.)</p><p>Dela Rosa said Dayan was arrested in San Felipe, San Juan, La Union before noon today following a “literal chase” with Pangasinan and La Union cops.</p><p>Dela Rosa said Dayan hid in the mountains in Sitio Bato, Barangay Lacong, San Gabriel, La Union until his arrest in a field in San Juan town today.</p><p>“Matagal ito na operation dahil nagtago siya ng husto, nasa bundok siya nagtago, parang close to ermitanyo,” Dela Rosa said in a news conference where he presented Dayan in the media for the first time.</p><p>(It was a lengthy operation because Dayan hid so well. He hid in the mountains and lived there like a hermit.)</p><p>Dayan said, he was too exhausted to continue running. Thus, he just let himself be arrested.</p><p>“Nasuko ako sa bukid na dahil hindi na talaga ako makatakbo,” Dayan said.</p><p>(I gave up on running in the farm because I was too exhausted to run.)</p><p>“Nagtakbo kami. Sa ilog palang baka umabot na ng 15 kilometers hanggang sa napunta ako sa bukid. Nagkanda dapa dapa na ako doon dahil sa putik, taniman ng palay. Napaupo ako, di na ako tumakbo. Nagpahuli na talaga ako,” he added.</p><p>(I ran. From the river all the way to the farm, it was about 15 kilometers. I tripped several times. I just sat and decided not to run. I let them catch me.)</p><p>Dayan also denied reports that a government official coddled him.</p><p>“Walang nag-protect sa akin, walang nagtago sa akin. Kusang loob ako nagtago,” he said.</p><p>(No one protected me. No one hid me. I went in hiding by myself.)</p><p>Dela Rosa, however, confirmed that Dayan once thought of surrendering. He said this did not push through because Dayan was unable to establish communications with a certain Colonel Lee who would have provided him with security.</p>

Arrest or surrender? Ronnie Dayan recounts turn of events

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Arrest or surrender? Ronnie Dayan recounts turn of events

Dharel Placido,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 22, 2016 08:07 PM PHT

Read More:

Ronnie Dayan

Ronald dela Rosa

Leila de Lima

drugs

new bilibid prison

la union

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