5 in Apayao'chop-chop' slays jailed, face charges

FLORA, Apayao -- Police arrested five suspects in the killing of two “chop-chop” victims here who were beheaded after a drinking spree.  

At the regional police headquarters in Camp Dangwa, Benguet, Chief Supt. Benjamin B.Magalong, regional police director, identified the suspects as Oliver A. Aligan, 21; Felix E. Dagdagan Jr., 22;  Marcelino E. Dagdagan, 42;  Emerson E. Dagdagan, 35, and   George Palacay,  all farmers and residents of Barangay San Jose, Flora.

Magalong commended Apayao police for solving the twin killing in such short period of time which resulted to jailing of the suspects.

On July 3, it was reported that Emerson L. Furagganan and ReynanteA. Menor, both farmers and residents of San Jose were missing. 

Twelve days after, their mutilated cadavers were found buried in a shallow grave at the farmland of Felix Dagdagan Sr. which is several meters away from the hut where they were last seen alive.

To solve the case, Senior Supt.Albertlito Garcia, Apayao provincial police director,immediately activated the Special Investigation Task Group.

The Group, together with concerted efforts of barangay officials and residents, found two witnesses who identified the suspects.

Investigation revealed that on the evening of July 3,  the victims and suspects were having a drinking session at the nipa hut of Marcos Caligan.

While drinking, victim Emerson Furagganan and Marcelino Dagdagan, one of the suspects, had a misunderstanding that provoked Marcelino to hack Furagganan.

A police report said the suspects brought the body of the victim to the grassland of Marcos Caliggan where they also killed Reynante Menor.  

One witness told the police that he saw how the suspects maimed the victims while they threatened him that they would do the same to him if he will report wht happened to anyone.

The killing was concluded by setting the victims on fire when the witness left the place.

           

Earlier reports said families of the two victims claimed the men went missing on July 3, after they went on a drinking spree on a rice field in the said barangay with Dexter Judi, 30, and Efren Valle alias “Bulut," 31, also farmers in the village.

After downing several bottles, the two were left at the said hut, police found out.

When Bulut went to check on the two, they were missing.

Ten days after, police, relatives and villagers formed a search team to locate the two. 

On July 14, Flora town policemen led by Senior Police Inspector Felipe Irving found unburnt remains of a black sack containing one blue brief, one red short pants, and two pieces of cut bones more or less 600 meters away from the farmhouse of a certain Efren Valle in San Jose.

The found items were believed to be owned by the missing persons. 

The search led to the bodies of the two in the farmland owned by Felix Dagdagan, Sr.

Police said the victims were chopped, beheaded, and legs were cut, placed in three white sacks and buried in a 3-foot shallow grave.