Slaughter of Innocents

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Human’s reluctance and inability to discern how tragic death and loss of lives of a particular social class of people results to impliedly tolerating or giving acquiescence to their deaths.

Once the society compromises human lives to fight against crimes, deaths of dozens would consequently numbs them. This also hardly provoke, perhaps due to fear, a rational reaction and moral obligation to opposed this madness.

Below are individuals cases of persons who had been murdered on pretext that they are involved in criminal activities in the city of General Santos, Southern Philippines.

Murders of this nature is no longer new to this part of the country, as it also happens to its neighboring cities–Digos and Davao.

SLAUGHTER OF ALLEGED CRIMINALS:

Shot in front of his playmates

Date: May 16 at 7:30pm
Victim: Alfredo Secuya Jr., 17 years old; of Zone 3, Block 0, Barangay Fatima

Alfredo Secuya Jr. was playing basketball when he was approached by gunmen who shot him twice. Two slugs from a .45 caliber pistol had been recovered from the crime scene. There were suspicions he could have been killed by “hired killer” and that he had been involved in illegall drugs after having been swayed by his friends.

This man orphans three children

Date: May 17 at around 10am
Victim: Ruel Medrano, 22 years old; of Purok San Roque, Barangay Labangal

Ruel Medrano was seen eating a snack in one of the stores when gunmen shot him dead. The gunmen, armed with a .45 caliber pistol, had approached the victim unnoticed shoting him on the head at close range. Three slugs from a pistol were found from the crime scene.

Though Ruel’s mother, Erlinda, admitted her son have had previous record of theft for stealing a mobile phone, but it happened a long time ago and they had already returned the stolen item to the owner.

“Ambot nganong gipatay man nila ang akong anak, wala silay kasing-kasing, ang akong hangyo sa mga nakakita unta motabang sa akoa aron akong maangkon ang hustisya sa kamatayon sa akong anak nga ilang gipatay, gi-angkon nako na nga may kaso na pero gibayran na nako to, looy kaayo kay may tulo pa kana nga anak nga iyang nabilin (I don’t know why they killed my son, they have no heart. My plea for those who had seen those who killed my son is for them to help me obtain justice. I admit that my son has had a theft case before, but I already paid for it. I feel pity to his three children he had orphaned)”

Killed for being previously detained

Date: May 17 at around 7pm
Victim: Bembo Aponesto, 31 years old; of Purok 2, Rajah Muda, Barangay Bula

Bembo Aponesto was standing just outside the house of his friend when he was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Two gunmen, carrying a .45 caliber pistol, were seen approaching him before they shot him. He suffered three gunshot wounds to his head killing him instantly. The community police, however, claimed Bembo had previously been detained in their police station for committing an offense.

Shot dead in his house

Date: May 14 in the evening
Victim: Rene Taluna, 24 years old; of Purok 2, B’laan Village, Barangay Labangal

Rene Taluna had just come from the public market where he was selling charcoal when the attackers shot him soon after arriving at his place. The two suspects, riding on a motorcycle, had followed the victim before shooting him dead. He suffered gunshot wounds to his head and chest. The community police there, once again, claimed Rene had cases of theft and robbery filed in their office.

Killed for leading a teeners’ group

Date: May 12 at 2:20pm; at his residence
Victim: Epedilito Vallenti, 18; of block 1, Santiago Subdivision, Barangay (Village) Bula, General Santos City

Epedilito Vallenti was shot suddenly by a gunman who had approached him as he was standing outside their house. He suffered two gunshot wounds to his head and neck respectively. They attackers, riding on a motorcycle, were seen shooting the victim soon after coming close to him.

Epedilito’s father, Roger, was awakened by his children who had told him that their brother was shot. Roger immediately took his son towards the hospital for medical attention. Epedilito, however, died later at the General Santos City Hospital while being treated there.

“Wala lagi koy masulti sa binuhatan sa akong anak, basta giila man daw ni siya nga lider sa ilang grupo kay ang iyang mga barkada mga gagmay pa man sa iyaha, ambot unsay sala sa akong anak nganong nahimo sa mga suspek ang pagpusil. Hinuon, permi lang gyud ni siya nagalakaw matag gabii, istorbo man gani sa among pangatulog tungod kay mouli na siya kaadlawon na,” his father said of him.

Never expect he is a target, too

Date: April 18 at 2:25pm iin Purok 6, Sitio Lanton, Barangay Apopong
Victim: Jonathan Lanciso,30; of Purok 4 of the same place

Jonathan Lanciso was with a crowd of people watching volleyball game when two gunmen, armed with .45 caliber pistol, approached him shooting him to his forehead. The bullet hitting him had pierced through the back of his head and his neck.

The attackers had escaped onboard a single motorcycle they had parked nearby to unknown direction. None of those who had seen the shooting, however, had come forward that they were able to identify the two attackers. The motorcycle also had no license plate.

Jonathan, who had come from a nearby village, came into the said place to observe a feast of a patron saint there when he was killed.

A team of police investigators from the Scene of the Crime Operative (SOCO) had recovered two slugs from a .45 caliber pistol at the crime scene.

The victim’s wife, Agnes, had no idea to what could have been the motive into her husband’s murder. However, she said her husband had once told him that they had been hearing humors someone would be killed in their place but they never know who. This prompted her to remind her husband repeatedly into taking precautions.

“Nag-ingon ang akong bana sa akoa nga dunay patyon sa among lugar, mao na nga ako pod sige og sulti sa iya nga mag-amping kay basi siya usab tripan. Apan ingon niya sa akoa nga nganong mahadlok man siya nga wala man siyay sala. (My husband told me someone would be killed in our place. That is why I also had kept on telling him to take precaution as he could be needlessly targeted. But he told me, why he should be afraid since he didn’t do anything wrong)”

Tinuod napriso na ang akong bana usa ka tuig og tulo ka bulan tungod napasanginlan nga nakawala og pusil apan nakit-an man kadto ang pusil hinungdan nga siya gibuhian. Apan wala nay dautang record ang akong bana sa amoa. (It is true that my husband had been detained for a year and three months after having been falsely accused of lossing a firearm. But it was later recovered that is he was released. He had no records of wrongdoing in our place)

Meanwhile, another man who had also lost a one to unabated killing, Cesar, had expressed his disappointments with the government for its continuing failure to solve the killings there. His was the father of a village policeman who had been killed in Barangay South days earlier.

“Sa tinuod lang, ako anaa man usab sa gobyerno apan daghan nang patay ang nahitabo sa atong lugar apan nakadungog ba kamo nga dunay taho nga dunay nasulbad sa gipamatay sa siyudad, wala.
(To tell you the truth, me too I am a government employee; however, there have been killinsg taking place in our place but have you heard any of it being solved? Nothing.

Bisan ako wala ko magdahum nga apil ang akong anak mabiktima usab niining extra judicial killings sa siyudad nga hangtud karon dakong problema lang gihapon. Nawad-an nako og pagsalig nga maangkon pa namo ang hustisya sa kamatayon sa akong anak. (Even me, I never thought that my son would also be one of those fallen victim to this extra-judicial killings in our city. I already lost trust that we would still be able to obtain justice for my son’s death),” he told local radio, Radio Mindanao Network (RMN).

Four killed, four wounded in a week

Date: from March 18 to 22
March 19
1. Gabriel Sintosas, 23; of Purok Malok (killed)
2. Emerson Estocado, 21; a resident of Purok San Roque, Labangal (killed)
March 20

On March 18, Gabriel Sintosas, was shot dead at around 7:50am at his residence in Purok Malok, Barangay Labangal. At 9:10am also on that day, another victim, Emerson Estocado, 21; of Purok San Roque, was also killed.

Gunmen kill 16-yeard-old

Date: March 18, around 9:55pm along Barangay City Heights
Victim: Rolen Daganio (a.k.a dugong bunso), 16; a resident of Perez Subdivision, Barangay San Isidro

Rolen Daganio was with two of his relatives when he was shot dead by unidentified gunmen riding on another motorcycle. Rolen was waiting for his uncle and cousin who at the time stopped along the roadside to answer the call of nature.

His uncle, Rogelio Inconcillano, and cousin, Rember Nunez, said Rolen was waiting for them when attackers suddenly appeared and shot him.

The attackers were riding another motorcycle, a red XLR model. Rolen and his relatives were at the time on their way to a church. Rolen has died instantly as he was hit to his check piercing through his head.

The two gunmen Nakasibat had escaped towards the National Highway.
Rolen’s body was taken to the RBL Funeral Homes.

Former detainee shot dead

Date: March 7; at around 10:30am along Amao Road, Barangay Bula
Victim: Nasser Kamid, 28; of Purok Islam, Barangay South

Nasser Kamid was in the area when three attackers riding on a motorcycle, armed with a .45 caliber pistol, suddenly appears and shot him dead.

Though the police have yet to conclude their investigation; they however suggest that he had been previously detained at the Davao Penal Colony (Dapecol).

Nasser suffered three gunshot wounds to his head. Three empty shells from a .45 caliber pistol had been recovered by the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) team at the crime scene.

The police, too, had impounded the motorcycle and safety helmets the attackers could have used when they attacked Nasser. The perpetrators had reportedly used another motorcycle, owned by another student, when they escape. It was however abandoned close to a hospital.