‘He was killed out of my mother’s sight and they took our money’.
BACOLOD CITY – Dawn of March 30, 14 persons, including two village chiefs, were killed during the simultaneous police operations in one city and two municipalities in Negros Oriental.
Police officers from Police Regional Office 7, Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and each local police station of Canlaon City, Manjuyod and Santa Catalina implemented 37 search warrants in different barangays. It resulted to the death of 14 after allegedly resisting arrest, 16 arrested, six evaded and one turned out negative of illegal firearms.
Search warrants were asked from court in violation of Republic Act 10591 or Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunitions.
Among those who were killed were Punong Barangays Valentin Acabal of Candabong; and Sonny Palagtiw of Barangay Panciao, Manjuyod town.
Argie Acabal, an overseas Filipino worker in Qatar, immediately went home upon knowing that his father was killed during the police operation.
Argie told Bombo Radyo Bacolod that police officers forcibly entered their house at 4:00 in the morning, while his family was still sleeping. In the house was his father Valentin, mother Angenate, 17-year-old brother, and a seven-year-old sister.
The armed men wearing mask according to him destroyed the wooden door just to enter their concrete house but they did not introduce themselves as police officers. There were estimated 20 of them who barged into the house.
“Sinira po nila ang pintuan namin. Sinira nila ang door knob kasi malakas yong pinto namin, kahoy yon.” Argie narrated.
“Nagulat po ang mga tao sa bahay. Natutulog pa sila.”
Upon entering the house, some of them allegedly pointed gun at his brother, who was sleeping at the living room. Their guns have red laser light. His brother immediately put his hands up while guns were pointed at him.
Police officers allegedly went to his parents’ room. His seven-year-old sister was sleeping with his parents. They kneel begging for their lives. The armed men still has not introduced themselves as police officers implementing the search warrant. They told the village chief that they are looking for his gun.
Minutes after, some PNP members brought Angenate and her child to the other room, leaving Valentin in their room. Argie’s brother was still at the living room, police officers were watching over him while his hands are up.
Other police officers, however, were busy looking for the gun in every corner of the house.
Around 5:00AM, Argie’s family members heard three gun shots from the room. His mother shouted asking what they did to her husband but the police officers prevented her to go back to their room. Angenate kept on crying, with her daughter.
Around 6:00AM, police officers called two barangay kagawads to Acabal’s house. They allegedly showed the village chief’s dead body, the search warrant and the .45 caliber pistol in his possession.
The barangay officials, however, have not talked to the wife as she was in the other room.
“May mga dumaan pong residente sa bahay namin. Sinabihan sila ng mga pulis na ipatawag daw ang dalawang barangay kagawad at pupunta sa bahay namin. Nang dumating, ipinakita sa kanilang yong search warrant at nakuha raw ang .45 sa tatay ko.” Argie said.
An hour after, the patrol car of Manjuyod Municipal Police Station arrived. The police officers, some of them still in mask, wrapped Valentin’s body in a bed sheet and brought it to the patrol car. PNP members, however, did not tell the wife what happened to his husband. She was still in the other room and prevented to go out.
As the patrol car leave the house, Angenate and her child hurriedly went to their room and saw much blood, Valentin was not there.
Angenate wept, thinking his husband was hurt and kidnapped by the armed men.
She immediately went to the town and reported to the police station. There she knew that Valentin’s body was at the morgue already because he resisted the operatives.
Based on the post-mortem examination, the victim suffered more than 10 gun shot wounds in his face, arms, legs and other parts of the body. Valentin’s limbs were broken. Police officers also shot his sex organ.
“Sabi po nila nanlaban ang tatay ko. Bakit po bali-bali ang kanyang paa? Yong ari ng tatay ko nawasak, tagos sa kanyang puwetan. Binaril po nila sa ari.” Argie narrated.
“Wala pong baril ang tatay ko. Hindi nga siya marunong gumamit ng baril. Kung nanlaban siya, sana binaril nila paa. Bakit marami siyang tama?”
WRONG NAME AT THE SEARCH WARRANT
Barangay officials who were called to Acabal’s house to look at the search warrant told Argie that the subject’s name was ERIC ACABAL. His father is Valentin.
“Seryosong bagay itong search warrant, bakit Eric ang nakalagay sa search warrant?” Argie said.
Argie also questioned the timing of the police operation.
“Kung search warrant iyon, bakit madaling-araw? Natutulog pa sila mama. Pwede naman silang magpakilala na ise-search nila yong bahay, in a polite manner.” Argie added.
‘THEY TOOK OUR MONEY’
Argie, the second son of Valentin, accused the police officers of taking the P30,000 he sent to his parents, days before the raid. The cash was placed in the pocket of his father’s jeans hanged in their room.
He also said his father is suffering flu a day before the police barged into their home.
Aside from the P30, 000, the police officers also allegedly took the P7, 000 kept in a closed box in their cabinet – it was their church’s collection. Angenate is a church treasurer.
CRYING FOR JUSTICE
Argie is seeking for a fair investigation to the killing. According to him, other victims’ kin whom they had talked to said that their family member was also killed out of their sight after police officers forcibly entered into their houses.
Valentin’s burial is scheduled on April 9.
Argie will immediately fly back to his work in Qatar hoping that justice will be served to his father and 13 others, who were mostly farmers.
Here is Argie Acabal’s full interview over Bombo Radyo Bacolod.
Special report by Bombo Erlyn Bayonita.
