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Thursday, May 27, 2004
Armed men massacre family of 5 in S. Kudarat
By Allen V. Estabillo
KORONADAL CITY -- Suspected Moro bandits robbed and massacred early Tuesday night a family of five in a farming village, some six kilometers away from Lambayong town proper in Sultan Kudarat province.
Lambayong Mayor Ramon Abalos said 10 heavily armed men barged into the home of the Tabayuyon family in Barangay Matiompong at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, declared a holdup and later killed five of its members.
Police identified the victims as Bonifacio Tabayuyon, 88, and his wife Emiliana, 85, their daughter Leonida Tabayuyon-Mumo, 45, son-in-law Wilson Mumo, 45 and grandson Crisanto Mumo, 23. They died with multiple gunshot wounds from M16 Armalite and M1 Garand rifles.
"The motive is robbery-holdup and the initial investigation showed that the suspects took some cash and firearms from the victims prior to the killing," the mayor said.
In an interview with a local radio station here, Nerissa, one of the three family members who survived the carnage, said at least four suspects clad in fatigue uniforms entered their house and held them at gunpoint.
The suspects then hogtied her parents and demanded money and firearms from her grandfather who was obliged to give them his savings and at least three firearms because he did not want any of his family members to get hurt.
"But after taking all the money and the firearms, they ordered my parents and grandparents to lie face down on the floor and shot them mercilessly," she said, adding the suspects also later shot her brother Crisanto who just entered their house.
Nerissa said the suspects, who were reportedly speaking in Maguindanaoan, also spotted her and her two other younger siblings hiding under a bed but did not hurt them.
In their initial investigation, SPO4 Cesar Nana, officer-in-charge of the Lambayong police station said the suspects reportedly fled towards nearby barangay Daladap in Esperanza town carting away some P10,000 in cash, two handguns and a carbine rifle.
While relatives of the Tabayuyons, a prominent landed family in Lambayong and in Palimbang town, believe the killing could be related to recent sale of a piece of land owned by the family in Palimbang.
Nana said that prior to the Tuesday night killing, the suspects had tried but failed to storm the Tabayuyon residence at least twice over the last three months yet refuses to speculate regarding the possible suspects saying their investigation is still ongoing.
"We are still gathering the necessary information regarding the incident particularly statements from witnesses for the possible identification of the suspects, " Nana said.
Owing to the incident, Abalos said he has requested police and military units to step up security operations in the area and advised his constituents to be more security conscious. He pointed out that the peace and order situation in the area is very volatile.
Lambayong town, a portion of which is covered by the Liguasan Marsh, is a known entry and exit point of Moro rebels and several criminal groups particularly the notorious Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom group led by Tahir Alonto.
The group was earlier tagged in the abduction of businesswoman Zoila Kansi at the public market of Lambayong.
(May 27, 2004 issue)
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