Thursday, April 12, 2007 Wenceslao: What happened? By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
NEWS stories do not usually suck me in deeply, but that car accident in Sitio Maaslom, Barangay Busay last Monday and the shooting incident in Barangay San Nicolas proper on Maundy Thursday had me shaking my head. A father and his son died in the Busay accident while a cop and an Air Force man were killed in the shootout.
Why did the vehicle that Saturnino Plaza and his nine-year-old son Genarleo were riding in plunge down a 300-foot-deep ravine in Busay? Who pulled the trigger first in that shooting incident, PO2 Jessie Yramis or Air Force Sgt. Darwin Busico? Did the responding San Nicolas policemen physically abuse Busico, contributing to his death?
That claim by a witness that Plaza allowed his son to hold the steering wheel when the accident happened was not flattering to the father. Hopefully, the testimony is erroneous. But if what Darby Arcillo said was what really happened, then I would say that the accident was doubly unfortunate. That one false move was very costly.
And how quickly can a confrontation between two armed men deteriorate into a shootout? The Cebu City Police Office should speed up the investigation into the deaths of Yramis and Busico if only to clear the air over the incident. I would say that here, the truth can be found between the testimonies of Yramis’ friends and those of Busico’s pals.
Based on the initial information gathered, however, it would seem like a series of false moves was committed by the protagonists. But violent confrontations are usually a result of people losing control of their selves. I therefore think Acting Cebu City Police Chief Patrocinio Comendador was correct in ordering his people not to frequent bars.
What is worrisome, however, is the allegation of Busico’s wife Ana Liezel that Busico was a victim of police brutality, a claim that responding policemen denied. Comendador should therefore go to the bottom of this incident. This can only be done, though, if those who witnessed the incident will cooperate with the investigation.
Surely, there are lessons to be learned in the Busay accident and justice may still have to be pursued in the San Nicolas videoke bar shootout. These can be achieved if a clearer picture of what happened will be presented. Thus, while the main protagonists have died, there is still a need to pursue to the hilt the investigation of the said incidents.
