Who is Elmo Panoyo’s murderer?

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

 SAGADA, Mountain Province -- This complicated murder case is baffling and getting mysterious. 

I expected the widow of Elmo Panoyo to be angry and talk a little bit longer during the indignation and justice for Panoyo rally held Nov. 21.  A less than a minute emotionless- message of thanks was heard from widow Diklaw Sumbad Panoyo who appeared in public wearing  glasses that  fully covered her  eyes and a hat that  added more to hiding her head.

As I gazed at  the  cute and petite lady walk back from the municipal hall  stage less than a minute talk, I was wondering why she did not talk more and raise her voice a little more. Quite puzzling to me as I expected one who is grieving to be  quite emotional, cry or get angry in public. She must have held her emotions quite well.

Placards held by the rallyists shouted, “Konsensya nan mangsolbar isnan problema (conscience shall solve the problem), nu wada ammu tako, ibaga tako (if we know something, we tell), thou shalt not kill, adikasin um-ummat  (it shall not happen again) and justice for Elmo Panoyo.”

or this peaceful town disturbed with this gruesome murder, this was the latest in the last five years, before it the rape- killing of a high school teener at Tangeb grounds below a high school  building done by identified assailants from southern Sagada, and homicide done to a youth from Demang village by an identified youth from SagadaPoblacion.

Elmo Panoyo is from Kapangan Benguet whose family migrated to Nueva Vizcaya. He met his wife DiklawSumbad in a bakery in Baguio and both moved to Bangaan where Diklaw comes from and  built their own family bakery. 

They have three children, the eldest a third year high school student and the youngest  a 3 year old baby. The second child, a grade 6 pupil witnessed the tragic killing of his father.

Panoyo drives his jeep used to deliver bread and sometimes used as a passenger vehicle.  While waiting for passengers he sometimes plays cards with some friends. Why he was killed is as baffling as  the day his vehicle was hired by the assailant who ended his life.

Murder happens for one reason or the other as revealed in a number of murder stories.  It happens because of a variety of reasons, one of which is jealousy. Murder stories tell of one hit by jealousy of a lover or a spouse cheating or getting ready to leave and something snapping in the mind of a jealous one and the killing happens. Either the murder was planned or done in a fit of uncontrollable jealousy.

Panoyo was shot to death along the Besao- Sagada road above lakeDanum by a man who hired his vehicle from Bangaan.  Clearly, the assailant must have planned the killing having gone first to buy bread at Panoyo’s bakery while looking for a vehicle to be hired on his destination to Besao.

Above Lake Danum within the boundary road  betweenSagada and Besao is a quiet place where people come visible only when vehicles pass by or  hikers  or farmers happen to walk the road. Along this road the treacherous murder happened.  Who shot Elmo Panoyo and why is the big question!

Murder happens also due to ideological reasons such as the disappearance and deaths of a number of political activists. The obviously planned murder is obviously not political, Panoyo not being a political activist or one suspected to be a member of a rebel group. Murder also happens to end the life of another to end a political career as had been manifested in a number of political related killings in the Philippines especially when elections are near.

Murder stories also happen to another because the victim knows something and the killer wants to keep information secret not to be known by the public. Such happens to rape-slay victims manifested in a number of this kind of cases.  Or it may happen to one who has gone traitor to a code as has been shown in  mafia stories. In this peaceful town of Sagada, this kind of cause for murder had never been manifested  since there is no  mafia in town.  

An angle to the murder of Elmo Panoyo is whispered loudly in public.  The police for sure knows this angle of Panoyo’s murder. Perhaps the police is now moving towards this loudly whispered angle of the murder of Elmo Panoyo whether or not people want to talk.

The  public expects Elmo Panoyo’s  wife to talk. The public also expects the neighbors of Elmo’s family and perhaps close friends of  ElmoPanoyo to talk. And also expect the passengers and the driver who rushed Panoyo to the hospital on his last breath what the victim  must have been saying.  And most of all, the public expects Elmo’s son to talk. Elmo’s son by the way described the image of the killer to the police.

Police Insp. Clayton Estangki of Besao has urged anyone who knows of the killing to forward their statement to the police as they cannot proceed with the case without a witness talking. This is what I came to know also from  PO Johnny Paleyan of Sagada PNP.

Police investigator Romualdo Ngina of the Provincial PNP investigation unit told me there is difficulty in proceeding with the investigation when no one has come forward with a statement. He said the provincial PNP formed a task force to investigate the case.

Comes now the northern tribes of Sagada- Bangaan, Fidelisan, Pide, Aguid, Tanulong, and Madongo who want the public to know of their concern for a person  of another tribe who got married to one of them and organized the march–rally  for Elmo Panoyo last Nov. 21.

 Pide barangay captain Herman Soliaban said  the unity of the northern tribe and of Sagada show their concern and belonging for Elmo Panoyo from Benguet who has married Diklaw from  the Fidelisan and SagadaPoblacionili where her (Diklaw) mother hails from.

This verbal expression of Soliaban talks of a tribe which doesn’t want to be placed in a shameful image of not caring for other tribes or people who get married to their tribe. A tribe sending the message to other tribes who marry someone from their (Pidlisan) tribe shall be taken with concern and belonging too. It follows that whoever did such gruesome act to Panoyo is not their act as a tribe.  

And for barangay captain MaximoSuyon of Aquid and other barangay  captains- James Duyog of  Fidelisan, Manuel Botoog of  Tanulong, and  Tito Suvilla of Bangaan- and residents of northern Sagada and Sagada community, they do not want the shameful and horrible act to happen again.