By Peter
Balocnit
BONTOC, Mountain Province -- A task force composed
of members of provincial police offices of Kalinga and Mountain Province and
municipal police forces of Tinglayan and Bontoc will be created to arrest the
suspect on the stabbing to death of a
15-year-old boy in this capital town
last month which fueled protest actions here.
This was agreed during recent peace dialogue here
among officials from Kalinga led by Vice Gov. Allen Jesse CapuaynMangaoang and
Tinglayan Mayor Johnny Maymaya andBontoc
Mayor Franklin Odsey and his people to
help police apprehend the suspect
from Basao, Tinglayan, Kalinga in the killing of John Crisostomo of Bontoc.
According to police report, the stabbing incident
happened at around 6:55 p.m. of April 10 at WacletMi-ing building at
SitioFoyayeng here at Bontoc Ili.
Days before the dialogue, people from Bontoc
barricaded the national road near the capital town barring people from Kalinga
to enter Bontoc in protest against the murder of Crisostomo and seeking justice
for his death.
During the dialogue, the aggrieved participants
demanded Kalinga delegates to surrender the suspect within five days after the
issuance of the warrant of arrest. They threatened to drive out Kalinga
students in Bontoc after summer classes if this would not be done.
However, Fr. Jose Pic-it, spokesperson of Kalinga
delegates, told their counterpart that they could not commit to produce the
suspect within the time frame but assured to help law enforcers in their best
efforts to bring the suspect to court.
The
dialogue pushed through after barangay officials from four central barangays of
this town wanted to prevent vehicles and people coming from Tinglayan in
entering this town.
Barangay
officials and concerned residents from Caluttit, Samoki, Bontoc Ili, and
Poblacion took shifts at SitioKhessat, Caluttit to check people coming from
Tinglayan.
Tinglayanfolks
coming to this town complained said action included all people of the Kalinga
town when in fact only people of Basao, a barangay in Tinglayan, should be
subjects of community action.
This
development was a result of pent up emotions of the Bontoc people for misdeeds
and wrongdoings reportedly perpetrated by Basao folks against the former in the
past.
Police
reported eight criminal incidents in the past that until now found no justice.
The recent
stabbing incident caused anuproar from the community denouncing the barbaric
act inflicted on a very young boy by a man who turned out to be from Basao.
On April
10, 2015, minor Bryden Faniswa Crisostomo, 13 and resident of Fatayan, Bontoc
Ili, Bontoc, was stabbed to death by one Saldy Alinung Dalug of Basao, who has
since escaped to his hometown and presently remains free.
The
incident brought back memories of eight criminal acts reported by the police to
have been perpetrated by people from Basao.
The
stabbing incident infuriated local people to condemn the seemingly never ending
saga of the Basao folks in committing criminal acts in the town.
Boarding
houses in the town have been cautioned and urged to terminate all agreements or
lease given to residents of Basao, not to allow them to stay in the town any
longer.
Tension
erupted among Tinglayan people who were of good behavior but nevertheless now
being implicated for wrongdoings.
On May
4, 2015, a case was filed before the prosecutor’s office on the case and was docketed under NPS Docket No.
1-07-INV-ISE-00045.
On the
same day, officials from the four central barangays barred vehicles and people
from Tinglayan to enter the capital town. It was learned that this action was
to force the officials and people of Basao to cause the surrender of the
suspect.
On May
6, officials from Kalinga led by Mangaoang, who traces his roots in Sagada,
Maymaya and other municipal officials
had a dialogue with the municipal and barangay officials of Bontoc led by Mayor
Odsey at the Multi-purpose building hall here in a bid to deter the tensions
from escalating.
During
the lengthy discussion, the Bontok tribe demanded the arrest or surrender of
the suspect with the help of the local officials of Tinglayan, Kalinga.
They
agreed that moratorium be done on the
conduct of spot check of passengers from Tinglayan by the Bontoc people for as
long as the officials of Tinglayan will fully support the police to arrest the
suspect in five days after the issuance of the arrest warrant which is yet to be
issued.
If the
suspect will not yet be arrested despite the issuance of the arrest warrant,
the people of Bontoc will resume the spot check of passengers with the
intention of not allowing the entry of people from Basao to the town.
According
to a reliable source, the community action will resume after May 25, to prevent
entry of the vehicles and
people
from Tinglayan to the capital town of Bontoc if the suspect is not arrested by
that date.
“Those
who will be negatively affected here are the students studying here and those
employed in the town”, said a barangay official.
Back home in Tabuk City, Kalinga, Mangaoang
conferred with Gov. Joce lBaac for the creation of the joint task force and
corresponding issuance of an executive order. – With a report from Roger Sacyaten
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