Kin of slain ‘robbers’ claim bodies

CONCORDIA Dapitan, 59, talked to her son at the funeral home as if they were having a real conversation.

“Look at what happened to you,” she told him.

Her son Mario was one of the men who were killed during last Monday’s botched robbery in an uptown mall in Cebu City.

“In three weeks, it will be your birthday and you will not be with us to celebrate it,” she said.

Mario worked as a multicab driver for three years in Mandaue City.

Concordia, together with two relatives of the slain robbers, arrived yesterday morning from Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental to claim the bodies.

They are farmers, charcoal-makers and log suppliers in Ozamis. They asked a neighbor to accompany them since it was their first time to visit Cebu.

In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, the three said they didn’t know about the activities of the slain robbers.

Concordia, who lives in the mountain barangay of Bonbon, said she was shocked to see her son’s name on television after the incident.

She was planting vegetables when her daughter told her about the news.

Concordia described her son as good-natured.

“We were stunned. We couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Mario was killed in the shootout with the police. During the chase, he fell from his motorcycle in Sepulveda St. He died in the hospital hours later.

Concordia’s companions claimed the bodies of the two other slain robbers, Antonio Adelan, 38 and Nelson Magsanay, 35.

Magsanay was also known as Melencio Quiapo. He was tagged as one of the leaders of the robbery group.

Magsanay’s mother Erlinda brought with her the birth certificate of her son. She identified him through a tattoo in his arm.

Erlinda said she last saw Nelson two months ago, when he asked permission to go out of town to look for a job.

She said her son was forced by his friends to join the robbery group.

Magsanay was found on V. Ranudo St., still clutching the bag containing P1.2 million cash.

Antonio’s wife Gina said her husband promised to be back after two days. He had told her he was going to chop trees.

Gina said he couldn’t believe Antonio hid something from her after 16 years of marriage. He left her with three children, including a three-year-old daughter.

Gina said she doesn’t blame the police, whom she said were just doing their job.

Cebu City Police Office Director Ramon Melvin Buenafe went to the funeral homes to express his sympathy. He said the police will donate money for the funeral services.

He said another suspect, Junjun Cabando, also known as Dionesio Cabatingan, was able to escape to Ozamis City, according to an intelligence report.

“I will urge our police counterpart there to conduct an operation to hunt him down,” Buenafe said.