SPORTSMANSHIP failed to save the life of two policemen.
Two members of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Cordillera Regional Mobile Force Battalion in Ifugao died after being shot by fellow policeman after a "tulhi" or traditional finger wrestling match.
Police Corporal Paul Cungihan Badangayon, 28, from Hingyon, Ifugao, allegedly shot dead Police Staff Sergeant Romualdo Ngina Jr., 32, from Bauko, Mountain Province, and Patrolman Rey Wan-aten, 30, from Banaue, Ifugao.
The police officers belong to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion. They were killed after a game of tulhi Sunday morning, September 29, in Barangay Viewpoint, Banaue, Ifugao.
The three were playing tulhi when Badangayon's finger was dislocated and called the supposedly friendly game quits, but he was reported to have shouted curses to his two playmates.
Police reports revealed that Ngina followed Badangayon to their quarters and punched Badangayon, who drew his service revolver and repeatedly shot Ngina.
Wan-aten, who was trying to pacify the two, was also shot.
PRO-Cordillera Director Israel Ephraim Dickson said that it was unfortunate that such incident had to happen among members of the same unit that is fighting in the mountains and looking for the enemy of government.
"It is unfortunate that one member of our police force got irked and resulted to shooting his companions and in our part, we are currently investigating what the reason was for the shooting for us to make the necessary assessment to correct this so as for similar events not to happen again," Dickson said.
The two police personnel were brought to the hospital, but both were declared dead. Badangayon was arrested.
"We cannot say that there was lack of discipline because there are many factors we have to consider. It might be that because in their area, which is isolated, there are instances that an individual may experience war shock or may have a psychological problem but we have already advised all our unit commanders to engage their respective troops up to the lowest PNP (Philippine National Police) personnel for us to know what they feel, their state of mind and what their problems are," he said.