A DRUNK militiaman on Thursday night, March 15, shot to death the supposed peacemaker of a hinterland village in Cauyonan, Opol, Misamis Oriental.
The suspect Filomeno Jabien, a member of Civilian Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) under the 4th Infantry Division, apparently got irked when the victim Fausto Castillon, 56 tried to calm him down for causing trouble in the community during the “Araw ng Cauyonan.”
Armed with an M-16 rifle, Jabien instead fired at Castillon, the village’s peace and security officer, who got hit in the butt and died along the way to a hospital in Cagayan de Oro.
Senior Inspector Corrine Mae Estigoy, spokesperson of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Police Office, said: "Araw ng Cauyonan kasi and normally may assistance ang barangay tanod at nakainom itong suspek at nagalit ng sinaway siya ng tanod (It was the Araw ng Cauyonan and normally barangay police were asked for assistance. Maybe the suspect got mad when he was pacified by the victim)."
The suspect was arrested the following day at the patrol base of nearby Tumpagon village in a manhunt operation conducted by the Opol town police.
Estigoy said the suspect owned the crime and did not resist arrest.
Jabien, who also surrendered his firearm, is now detained at the detention cell of Opol police station pending the filing of murder charges by the victim’s family.
"Pini-prepare na ang case folder niya at idadaan din siya sa paraffin test then ipa-file ang case na murder against sa suspect (The case is now being prepared and the suspect will also undergo paraffin test)," Estigoy said.