Saturday, November 24, 2007 Injured farmer takes boy hostage By Ben Serrano Caraga correspondent
BUTUAN CITY -- Policemen arrested a 41-year-old farmer from Surigao City who took hostage a 10-year-old boy inside Butuan City Medical Center at Kilometer 3, Barangay Baan, this city at past 5 a.m. Friday.
Butuan police precinct 3 chief Senior Inspector Ferdinand Bokingo Dacillo identified the suspect as Edilberto Rodilla of Maragusan, Compostela Valley Province who lives at 510 Cleanville Compound, Barangay Mayuno Uno, Las Piñas City.
Address of Cecilia, Rodilla's wife, is placed at Talisay Street, Poblacion Maragusan, Compostela Valley province.
Initial police investigation revealed that a Bachelor Bus from Surigao City arrived at the Butuan City Medical Center carrying an injured Rodilla who allegedly jumped from the bus somewhere in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte.
Hospital authorities failed to get the plate number of the passenger bus and the identities of persons who brought Rodilla to the hospital.
While waiting for treatment for nearly one hour inside the hospital, the suspect allegedly grabbed 10 year old Nike Josol who was with his aunt, Gondellina Josol, a Barangay Kagawad of Maug, Butuan City.
Rodilla then allegedly poked a scissor knife at the boy's leg and threatened to harm him if a group of people who were reportedly chasing goes near him.
This prompted the elder Josol and hospital personnel to call the police.
Negotiations lasted for nearly 40 minutes before Rodilla released the boy.
In an interview, Rodilla alleged that a group of people threatened to harm him. He said after his fall from the Bachelor Bus he experienced pain and no one at the hospital took care of him.
He claimed he only received treatment after taking the boy hostage.
Cecilia who is in Maragusan told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro in a mobile phone interview that her husband had not experienced trouble in the past nor had any psychological problems.
She admitted though that poverty forced her husband to look for greener pastures in Metro Manila.
"My husband is supposedly going to Manila as he is now being sought by his employer. The last time we communicated is that he is riding a passenger jeepney and somebody is asking him money," Cecilia said.
The victim's aunt said personally she has no plans to file a complaint against Rodilla as she pities him because of his situation.
"He (Rodilla) is so uneasy when he arrived here at the hospital, it seems that he is afraid of somebody or group of people going after him. He needs help to check him psychologically," Josol said.
