Friday, June 20, 2008 Parents of boy killed in Carbon fear for their lives
STILL in grief, the parents of the 14-year-old boy who was accidentally shot dead allegedly by a tanod now fear for their lives after learning that other Barangay Ermita tanods have been asking about their whereabouts and background.
Luvy Anter said she asked her husband to refrain from going back to Carbon market for fear that he would be harassed.
Ananias Anter, who witnessed the shooting of his son allegedly by Ermita chief tanod Beltran Bosque, has been coordinating with the police on the investigation on the shooting incident at Carbon market before Sunday dawn.
Without any means of livelihood since their son’s death, Luvy appealed to Mayor Tomas Osmeña for burial assistance yesterday so they can go home to Barili town and bury their son there.
She said Ermita Barangay Captain Felici-simo Rupinta assured her family of financial aid that will cover all their burial expenses and their son’s hospital bills.
But because they filed a case against Bosque and have spoken to the media, Rupinta allegedly refused to honor his promise.
Rupinta denied the allegation in a phone interview yesterday, saying he gave the Anter family P6,000 as burial assistance.
“Mao man to iyang saad, na siya ang mugasto sa pagpalubong ug haya basta dili mukiha ug dili muatubang sa media. Karon dili na man siya mutubag... Gilabanan gyud niya iyang tanod (He promise to spend for the wake and burial as long as we don’t file charges or talk to the media. He is really defending his tanod.),” Luvy told reporters at City Hall yesterday.
In his news conference yesterday, Osmeña said the family can be assured of up to P10,000 in financial assistance from the City Government.
Luvy said they still owe the funeral home at least P12,500.
“We have our standard P5,000 burial assistance, I think we can add to that but I don’t think we can pay as much as P12,500,” said the mayor.
Luvy said they now want to go home to Barili for fear that Bosque’s colleagues would get back at them for filing homicide charges against him.
“Daghan na man gud kuno nagsukit-sukit na mga kauban sa mga tanod diha sa Carbon, nagsige kuno ug pangutana asa gyud mi gikan ug unsa mi nga pagkatawo, unsay among trabaho. Mao na wala na nako palakta akong bana (The tanods have been asking questions in Carbon, asking people where we came from, what are background is and what we do for a living. That was the reason why I asked my husband not to go out.)” she told reporters yesterday.
“Mao na among gilikayan, nga naa unya silay huna-huna nga bawsan mi (That’s what we are trying to avoid, that they’ll get back at us.),” Luvy said.
The Anter family is being supported by their relatives in Barangay Mambaling. They received financial assistance from Mambaling Barangay Captain Rodolfo Estela.
City Councilor Eugenio Faelnar also gave them P2,000 from his personal funds. (LCR)
