HAPPY
WEEKEND
Gina
Dizon
SAGADA,Mountain Province -- Businessman
and lot owner Wilson Capuyan assured elders from eastern barangays
and tourist guides, inn keepers and other community members
who attended a recent gathering here that the Kiltepan view
site remains open to the public.
KIltepan view site located in the eastern
part of the tourist town is used as a picnic ground and frequently visited by
visitors due to its perfect view of the Kiltepan rice terraces and early
morning sunrise.
The site is part of a two hectare property
bought by Capuyan from former congressman Alfredo Lamen in 1993 and introduced
improvements in 2008 including a renovated telecom tower. Additional three
hectares was bought by Capuyan from a certain Sumedca and immediate heirs
of Lamen where locates a reconstructed gate April this year built from concrete
materials from earlier wooden materials built some years ago.
Capuyan said the gate was reconstructed
to give more durable structure to prevent cows from entering
the other side of the fence and prevent theft as construction materials had
been stolen some days before building of said gate.
The reconstructed gate was demolished by some
barangay officials of Antadao, Kilong and Tetep-an of Kiltepan and
other identified individuals on May 22.
The incident is a separate case to be
tackled, Capuyan said.
The Kiltepan view site was
declared picnic ground and view deck by the Sangguniang Bayan in 2009 and
referred to the SangguniangPanlalawigan but the latter referred
back to the Sagada SB to resolve any land dispute or questions on
ownership.
Capuyan said town officials did not consult
him before the SB passed the ordinance. In response to an urging that Capuyan
donate the view site to the public, Capuyan suggested that Sagada mayor Eduardo
Latawan who comes from Kiltepan donate some of his property for a park.
***
In Bontoc, a talk with Investigator
Romualdo Ngina of provincial police had him appealing to the
public to help in solving crimes that happen within their immediate
communities.
Investigation on the brutal killing of
college student 22 year old Sarah Becyagen last year
attests to this. One late night in Sept. 22, Sarah was seen
with two friends having some drinks somewhere near the public market.
They left the place before 9 pm and
were seen near the vicinity of Land Bank-Bontoc located
near a police outpost and the Circle where most people congregate.
One of the friends left earlier leaving two- Sarah and another continuing
their chitchat.
Sometime before 11 p.m, Sarah proceeded
home alone to Samoki having to walk along the stretch of the Samoki
Bridge over the Chico River. She may not have walked the long stretch of
the bridge as she was found near the entrance the following day,
mangled with contusions all over her body and strangled to death.
Two suspects were caught and detained at the
provincial jail and eventually released because there was no
evidence strong enough to pin down them for a full blown trial.
The father of the victim, Agustin Becyagen
forwarded the case to the National Bureau of Investigation. This obviously
means Becyagen was not satisfied with the investigation of
the police in Bontoc. A recent tralk with Ngina yielded no update
yet from the NBI. PadiTom Palpal, uncle of the victim can
only sigh and say give it to the Lord where police can’t come up
with satisfying findings.
Ngina says one major difficulty in
investigation work is the non- cooperation of witnesses. Where the people are
afraid to come out or would not want to talk for whatever reason that may be,
the police face flimsy leads to solve a case.
Gruesome crimes such as the Sarah
Becyagen case takes a similar development in the Panoyo case. Forty seven
year old Elmo Panoyo from Bangaan, Sagada was gunned down October
30 along the Besao-Sagada road above Danum Lake.
A complaint was filed by the police after
sometime that the widow of the victim was not filing any case. Case has
been recommended for dismissal as there is not enough investigation to pin
down suspect with the witness, a nine year old child of the victim
having inconsistent replies of recognizing the suspect.
Judge William Dominguez recommended that the
joint forces of both Besao and Bontoc PNP do further investigation
on one angle of the case- the alleged love triangle- of Panoyo’s wife, DiklawanPanoyo
and the victim’s friend, David Bibit Jr- as implied in the complaint
itself.
While it may be that the police
lacked intensive probe on the love triangle angle, Ngina also
laments the lack of police funds to pursue investigation on specific cases.
Again, much is desired from the public-
family members, relatives, friends, neighbours, anyone- to report
whatever suspicious and hard evidence they know of a certain
case to the police.
We revisit the Kenneth Sawad
case. Seventeen year old Kenneth Sawad,a fourth year student of Pasil
National High School was brutally murdered March 21, 2011
and buried in a shallow grave at BatongBuhay, Balatoc allegedly by
suspect Leslie Alicog from Balatoc, Pasil, Kalinga. Kenneth’s parents are from
Balbalan, Kalinga and Bontoc making him Kalinga-Bontoc mestizo.
Background story as noted from
interviews note that Kenneth helped a friend in the race for
SangguniangKabataan chairmanship. Another friend joined in
the race. Both are Kenneth’s friends. The friend whom
he helped won the post. The rival’s father is the
suspect.
A complaint was filed against suspect
Alicog. Same time, the local government unit of Pasil organized
Task Force Kenneth Sawad composed of LGU officials, Pasil police aided by
the Philippine Army, and elders to aid police in catching the culprit,
bring him to justice and help in resolving the case. The task force
failed. Up to now, the suspect is at large.
In the cultural resolution of the case,
the presence of the accused is demanded by Bontoc elders to
Balatoc-Pasil elders/negotiators to surface the
accused for the necessary negotiation. The latest
talks September last year. There are no scheduled talks yet.
The status of the suspect being “at large”
has the answer from the immediate family members and village mates of suspect
and those who know where the suspect is.
Where culture, tribal loyalties
maybe strong and personal relationships equally strong reasons why
suspects are not caught and witnesses don’t come out to
talk on whatever they know about the case, it takes courage
to transcend personal ties and prejudices and objectively
look at the justice angle of a crime done, that evil acts
shall not happen again; and revisit at what is cultural
that in our culture too, justice abounds.
So we know of the dap-ay and the
ator and other indigenous ways of realizing justice by punishing the guilty one
to bring justice and peace to the victim, aggrieved family, and communities-
both where the culprit and the victim comes from.
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