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Friday, January 07, 2005
Girl, 5 others slain in Cotabato massacre
DAVAO CITY -- Six persons, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when a group of armed men allegedly led by a militiaman opened fire on them in a far-flung barangay in North Cotabato Wednesday night.
The victims were identified as Marcelo Erisudo, 60, Juliana Erisudo, 55, couple Freddie Kimot, 30, and Hernanie Kimot and their six-year-old daughter Jesryll, and Carlos Algamar.
Another two, Susan Liboon and Melissa Butalid, survived the massacre.
They survived the massacre by pretending to be dead.
They told police after the shooting that they recognized one of the gunmen as a government militiaman who had a fight with one of the victims, said Ernesto Concepcion, the mayor of Alamada town in North Cotabato.
"They just sold a truckload of corn in a nearby town and were heading home with the cash money when waylaid by the suspects," Concepcion said.
All victims were residents of Matinao Guiling in Alamada, North Cotabato.
North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piņol identified Thursday the government militiaman as Efren Pagutalan, a member of the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu).
He said Concepcion informed him that the victims figured in a fight with Pagutalan's group that morning.
The militiaman, according to the governor, would not allow the victims to pass by their checkpoint in Purok 2 Sitio Kisulao in Barangay Bao without giving money to his group.
Piņol said one of the victims had a heated argument with the suspect before paying him P300 so they would be allowed to pass.
The victims were reportedly on their way to the town center to sell their corn products.
The attack happened while the victims were on their way home at 10 p.m. that same day after selling a truckload of corn.
One of the victims, a 60-year-old farmer, reportedly carried a bag with about P100,000, officials said.
Piņol said several witnesses identified Pagutalan's group as responsible for the massacre.
He suspected robbery as the motive for the attack.
He added that several civilians earlier passed by the same area where the victims were massacred, but were not harmed by Pagutalan's group.
Piņol immediately called on Major General Raul Relano, Army's 6th Infantry Division commander, to run after the group of Pagutalan.
The governor said the incident is not insurgency-related and does not involve any rebel group in the area.
Alamada is a largely agricultural town with a population of about 40,000. Muslim and communist guerillas also operate in the area. (BOT/With Peng Aliņo, AP)
(January 7, 2005 issue)
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