Mentally ill father holds son hostage in Cagayan de Oro

A FATHER who has been suffering from mental disorder took hostage his own son in Barangay Bugo, Cagayan de Oro City last Wednesday, April 12.

The police will press child abuse and illegal detention charges against Richard Roque, 31, temporarily detained at Bugo Police Station after more than 12 hours of hostage drama.

“Depende na sa piskal kung angayan ba ning maong kaso nga i-file sa suspect. Buot unta ipagawas sa igsoon sa suspek ang bata para pakaonon pero dili niya ipagawas ug iya nang gikulong busa gidugang nato ang illegal detention sa kaso (It depends on the prosecutor if it is advisable to file the case against the suspect. The sibling of the suspect wanted to go out with the child to feed him but the father didn’t allow it and confined the child that’s why we added illegal detention in his case),” said Chief Inspector Ian Borinaga of Police Station 6.

The hostage-taking was reported around 2 p.m. last Wednesday with the suspect claiming someone would torture him, hence using his child as a shield to protect himself.

The Critical Incident Management Task Group, composed of the negotiation team, medical, tactical or assault team, psychological team, security and village officials, had been activated with City Police Director Robert Roy Bahian supervising the hostage crisis situation.

The negotiation took so long as the suspect refused to cooperate until dawn of Maundy Thursday.

Unrest, murmuring and clutching the knife against the victim’s neck, Pontillas and company later saw an opportunity to pounce on Roque in quick precision.

Pontillas sustained slight bruises on his elbow and knee after he successfully grappled with the suspect.

Roque’s 7-year-old son was wounded on his neck. He was rescued by the assaulting team led by Chief Inspector Ariel Philip Pontillas of the City Intelligence Unit.

The hostage-taker, who was rehab in 2014 due to drug dependence, has been maintaining medicines for treatment.

“Nabulag pud siya sa asawa tungod sa iyang sitwasyon ug iyang mga igsoon na maoy nag-atiman niya ug gapainom sa tambal (He was separated from his wife because of his situation and his siblings were the ones who took careof him and making him drink his medicine),” Borinaga said.

The elder Roque, however, failed to take his medicine during the incident.

“Actually close ang bata sa iya kay papa’s boy man. Na-timing lang gyod siguro nga nitukar ang sakit (the child is close to his father since he is a papa’s boy. It just happened that the father relapsed),” added Borinaga.

Borinaga said the City Social Welfare and Development Office assisted in turning over the child to his mother.