Tongol slain, Dumpit eyed

Suspected bigtime drug pusher and robber Joel "Tongol" Nodalo was shot dead by a lone gunman at 7:30 last night in barangay Asinan, Buenavista town, Bohol while inside a cockpit.

The lone gunman pumped more than 10 bullets on Nodalo, hitting him on the head, forehead, chest, and abdomen.

Suspicion immediately fell on controversial Cebu City policeman Adonis Dumpit after Nodalo's wife claimed in radio dyss interview last night that she recognized the voice of Dumpit answering the cellphone of her husband.

Janice Nodalo said the cellphone of her husband was apparently taken by his assailant and that when she dialed the phone's number, the voice that answered was allegedly that of Dumpit.

She claimed Dumpit used to be a neighbor in barangay Tejero, hence she recognized his voice.

Dumpit could not be reached for comment.

Dumpit was suspended for a year only last Thursday by the Office of the Ombudsman for the Military for grave misconduct.

A check with Dumpit after his suspension revealed that he has not gone home but did not say where he was.

Buenavista Vice Mayor Ladring Terol in an interview over radio station dySS last night confirmed the death of Nodalo and said that the gunman reportedly just casually walked away after the incident.

According to Terol, he was about twelve meters away from the crime scene. He said he heard at least eight bursts of gunfire and that the next thing he saw was that Nodalo was already sprawled on the ground.

"Buto-buto nalay akong nadungog mga eight shots manto. Ang sulti sa akong amigo nga maoy nakakita nag-wig kuno ang gunman. Shaggy ang style," Terol said.

Nodalo's body was later brought to the St. Mary's Funeral Parlor in Getafe town.

PO1 Samuel Trecela of the Buenavista Police, in a separate interview over radio dySS, said at least twelve empty shells believed to be of a .45 cal. pistol were recovered at the crime scene.

Nodalo's notoriety heightened in 2001 to 2003 where he was tagged as among those responsible for the series of bank heists in Cebu City being a local contact of an Ozamiz-based robbery group whose members were said to be remnants of the dreaded Kuratong Baleleng.

Police said his main task then was to make the blueprint for the robbery and to provide arms for those who will execute his plans.

Nodalo has denied involvement in the string of robberies. What he admitted then was his being a drug pusher. He even claimed a number of cops were allegedly asking protection money from him then.

He was arrested in Escalante, Negros Occidental in 2002 and a few months later bolted the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation together with the then equally notorious suspected robber Riel Bautista who at present is a fugitive.

But a shootout during their escape ensued and Nodalo was hit in the leg so that he was forced to yield to authorities a day after.

Recently, he was linked to notorious robber Ruel Rey Torres, being the one who allegedly paid for the temporary liberty of Torres and Roldan Rodriguez when the two were arrested last year for robbery.

Both Nodalo and Torres, who was arrested in Monte Alegre, Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur by a seven-man team of city policemen last week and whose left leg was amputated the other day, denied they knew each other.

Last April, a female witness tagged Nodalo as the lookout in a heist against Mejor pawnshop in barangay Pasil wherein Torres was said to be the one who pistol-whipped one of the employees who resisted.