SOME 30 fighting cocks were stolen by 30 unidentified armed men after they killed the brother of slain “drug lord” Crisostomo “Tata Negro” Llaguno at dawn Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019.
The gunmen in bonnets, who carried long firearms, shot the victim, identified as Cary “Tangkag” Llaguno, inside his house in Barangay Pili, Barangay Babag 1, Cebu City.
They poured gasoline on Cary’s body and set it on fire. The flames grew and engulfed the whole house; the victim’s charred remains were later found among the debris by crime scene investigators hours later.
Spared by the culprits were Cary’s live-in partner Girly Loredo and her father Sanny. However, Girly went missing after the incident.
P/MSgt. Jeffrey Larobis of Mabolo Police Station believes Girly is still alive, hiding somewhere.
Mabolo Police Station Chief Dexter Basirgo believes Cary’s alleged involvement in illegal drugs was the motive for his killing.
Basirgo said Cary had not been included in the station’s list of drug personalities, but he said it is possible that there are criminal gang members who held a grudge against Cary.
Sanny said he never heard that Cary had been involved in the illegal drug trade, but he said Cebu City Police Office personnel had picked him up for an interrogation. The police later released Cary for lack of evidence.
This statement was contradicted by Basirgo, who said it was Cary who surrendered to the Cebu City Police Office’s intelligence branch in 2018 to clear his name. The victim was not charged as there was no evidence against him.
Cary had no job, but he owned a water refilling station in downtown Cebu City. A cock derby aficionado, his game fowl farm is home to around 500 fighting cocks, according to Sanny.
On May 4, 2010, Crisostomo was shot dead by Jimmy B. Diala while he was campaigning for a seat in the Cebu City Council. The slain candidate was a friend of Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama.
It was around 3 a.m. when the masked assassins arrived and broke into Cary’s residence. They covered the faces of Sanny and everyone else inside the house.
Sanny and his daughter were brought outside, while Cary remained inside the house.
Some of the armed men told Sanny and Girly to keep their mouths shut, or else they would be killed. They obliged, afraid of the threat.
Sanny later heard gunshots, making him tremble in fear.
As the assailants were about to leave, Sanny heard them asking about Cary’s fighting cocks. He answered, and when he was certain that the armed men had already left the area, he checked the farm and discovered there were missing roosters.
One of the gunmen repeated the threat against Sanny and Girly, telling them to keep their quiet or they would be murdered.
Girly later left without her father’s knowledge.
Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, police found a black sports utility vehicle, believed to be owned by Cary, abandoned in Sitio Maaslum, Barangay Busay.
Tanod Richard Codizar told reporters that he heard gunshots coming from the vehicle. When he and his fellow watchmen checked, no one was inside it.
The vehicle had burn marks on the driver’s seat, leading Codizar to believe that there was an attempt to burn it.
Police are now looking for Girly, who could give clues to solving Cary’s murder. (From AYB, GPL of SuperBalita Cebu / JKV / KAL)