Japanese man killed in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 15, 2010) – A Japanese man was killed in an attack in his home in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, police said.

Police identified the foreigner as a 71-year old Tokio Miyake, from Osaka City, but was leaving in Zamboanga City for several years now with his Filipino family. It said two men stabbed Miyake in his room on Friday in the village of Pasonanca.

Police launched an investigation into the motive of the killing, but the murder was believed connected to failed burglary.

Other reports said Miyake’s Filipino helper Analyn Abejero told police investigators that she saw two men rushed out of the room of the septuagenarian.

She said she was roused from sleep by a commotion inside Miyake’s room. The maid told police she went to the room and man came rushing out, shoving her to the couch, a local television ABS-CBN reported.

It said Abejero saw two men fled - one exiting through the main door and the other through the kitchen door.

She said she saw Miyake sprawled and bloodied on the floor. He was stabbed in the chest with an ice-pick.

The unabated killings in Zamboanga City had worried many residents and dozens of people were either killed or wounded in gun attacks since early this year largely blamed by authorities to contract murder and feud. (Mindanao Examiner)

McDonald manager in Zamboanga killed

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2009) – A Filipino manager of the US hamburger chain McDonald was shot dead in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said Alvin John Sanchez, 28, was killed by one of two motorcycle gunmen while on his way home from work early this week. Sanchez was also on his motorcycle when he was attacked.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the murder, but killings in Zamboanga were not uncommon. Police said there had been more than two dozen cases of shooting incidents since last month and 13 of those had resulted to deaths.

Police blamed feuds and grudges as the motives for the murders and officials said the spate of killings were isolated cases. But most of these killings were carried out by paid assassins or guns-for-hire that operate in Zamboanga.

Just last week, four people were killed, including a village chieftain, in a broad daylight shooting in Zamboanga City’s Santa Cruz market. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zambo cell phone trader killed in broad daylight attack

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 18, 2009) – An unidentified gunman shot and killed a cell phone trader in broad daylight attack Wednesday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, reports said.

The victim, Asbi Hamsi, was killed at around noontime along Petit Barracks in downtown Zamboanga City, according to a report by the local ABS-CBN television.

Hamsi, a former policeman, was on his way home with his wife when he was gunned down. His wife was unhurt from the attack.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the killing. Police said it is still investigating the motive of the murder. But killings, mostly perpetrated by gun-for-hire, are not uncommon in Zamboanga City. Many of the previous killings remain unresolved. (Mindanao Examiner)

Police says no clue on brutal slay of teenager in Mindanao

Relatives and family members pay their last respect Thursday, January 22, 2009 to Shela Mae Paragas, 17, who was brutally killed in Midsayap town in North Cotabato province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 23, 2009) – Police is facing blank wall on the murder of a 17-year old college freshman, whose neck was slashed on a village in the southern Philippines.

The victim, Shella Mae Paragas, was buried on Thursday, a week after she was killed near her home in the village of Dos in Midsayap town in North Cotabato province. She was also stabbed in the chest.

“We are facing a blank wall here. There was no witness, but we are still investigating this case,” said Chief Inspector Renante Cabico, the town’s police chief.

He said the victim’s cell phone was missing, but police could not say whether the murder was connected to robbery. “We have questioned several people and got nothing. Our forensic team is working on this case,” Cabico told the Mindanao Examiner.

The motive of the killing is still unknown. “We don’t know the motive of the killing. The victim was not abused and only her cell phone was missing,” he said.

Her family appealed to President Gloria Arroyo to help them get justice for the murder of Paragas. “We appeal to President Arroyo to help us in giving justice to the death of my daughter who was brutally murdered,” the victim’s mother Helen said.

The town’s mayor, Ramon Rabara, has offered P20,000 reward for anybody who could help authorities resolve the crime. More than 4,000 people attended the burial of Paragas in her hometown, one of her cousins, said. (Mark Navales)

Son Kills Own Father; Pa Slays Own Kid

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 13, 2008) – A son has killed his own father after a heated argument in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, police said.

Police said Ruben Tumagna, 24, hacked his father, Alberto Tumagna, several times with a machete inside their house in the town of Mutia. The assailant tried to escape after the weekend killing, but he was arrested by policemen after neighbors sought help.

Police said both father and son were last seen drinking wine and neighbors just heard the duo arguing inside their house.

But in a bizarre turn out of event, policemen at the weekend also arrested a 42-year old father for allegedly murdering his son several months ago in the village of Maria Oray in Dapitan City also in Zamboanga del Norte. Police nabbed Roseller Soreño after a local court issued a warrant for his arrest. (Erico Rosco)

Cops Shoot Unarmed Fisherman In Southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 21, 2008) – A policeman shot and killed a fisherman after he tried to escape while being arrested for illegal fishing in Davao City in the southern Philippines.

Benjever Madagmit, who was unarmed and posed no danger to policemen, had been shot in the head. His nephew managed to flee from the policemen, who were members of the Bunawan police force.

The killing occurred late Saturday and the family of the victim have appealed to human rights group and the Philippine National Police to investigate the murder. (Romy Bwaga)

Three Killed In Violence In Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 15, 2008) – Unresolved murders continue in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines as a trader fell victim on Monday, barely a day after gunmen also killed a man on a village here.

Police said Abtahil Abdul, 25, was killed early Monday in front of church in the village of Tumaga. Abdul, a market stall owner, was shot in the head and died instantly.

Gunmen also shot dead Eric Salvador, 38, late Sunday in Santa Maria village and police said it is investigating both killings. Several people had been killed the past weeks and the murders remained unsolved.

In Zamboanga del Sur province, a college freshman Anelyn Secovia, was also killed on Friday in the town of Dumingag, police said.

It said Secovia’s body which bore stab wounds, was discovered at a coconut plantation. It was not immediately known whether she was raped or not. (Erico Rosco)

Gunman Kills Ex-Army Soldier In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 11, 2008) – An unidentified gunman killed a former government soldier in an attack Thursday in the southern Philippine port city Zamboanga, police said.

Police said retired army lieutenant Santiago Piedad was shot outside a chapel in the village of San Jose Gusu. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the killing, but police held one person in connection to the attack.

“We are investigating the man for his possible link to the killing,” said Inspector Ibrahim Jambiran, head of a police task force.

Police said it is still investigating the motive of the attack. Another man was also shot and killed in the village or Recodo on Thursday.

Last week, motorcycle gunmen also killed a senior official of the state-run Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Zamboanga City.

Arnold Pimentel, the administrator of the regional TESDA training center here, was shot in the head while on board his vehicle. TESDA is an agency under the Department of Education responsible for managing and supervising technical education and skills development in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Trader Killed In Pagadian City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 9, 2008) – Motorcycle gunman killed a trader in an attack in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in the southern Philippines, police said Tuesday.

Police said the 28-year old Bryan Santos was on a vehicle on his way home when shot by one of the two men. Santos, a resident of General Santos City and working in Pagadian City died in the hospital.

He was shot four times in the body and the assailants fled after the shooting. The motive of the attack is still unknown, police said. (Eric Rosco)

Zamboanga Village Chieftain Found Dead Inside Motel

Zamboanga City, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 6, 2008) – A local village chieftain was found murdered inside his motel room in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the body of Abubakar Alphad was discovered by a room attendant late Friday. His naked body bore six stab wounds believed to be from a screw driver found inside the room of La Terraza motel.

Alphad was the chieftain of Manalipa, one of several island villages off Zamboanga City. Police said Alphad checked in at the motel at around 5 p.m. with an unidentified woman.

A motel attendant, Cora Almasan, has told police investigators that she heard a loud noise inside Alphad’s room later in the night. Almasan said she saw the woman rushing out the room.

Police said robbery could be the motive of the killing because Alphad’s wallet and cell phone, including other belongings, were missing. Police is still investigating the murder. (Erico Rosco)

Gunman Kills Officer Of Philippine Technical School

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 5, 2008) – An unidentified gunman shot dead Friday a senior official of the state-run Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Zamboanga City.

Village officials identified the victim as Arnold Pimentel, the administrator of the regional TESDA training center here. Pimentel was driving his vehicle when the gunman shot him in the head at around 7.45 a.m. The assailant escaped on motorcycle after the shooting.

TESDA is an agency under the Department of Education responsible for managing and supervising technical education and skills development in the Philippines.

The motive of the attack was unknown, but the rising cases of unsolved murders and crimes in Zamboanga City have worried residents. Authorities continue to downplay the incidents and had tagged previous killings as isolated and blamed the proliferation of illegal weapons to the rising criminalities.

Just last month, gunmen also shot dead an employee of an Internet café here and shot and wounded several more in previous attacks.

In July, two motorcycle gunmen also killed a ship owner, Faustino Saavedra, in Zamboanga City. Saavedra’s family owns the Ever Lines Shipping Company.

Motorcycle gunmen also shot dead Ibno Yusop, president of the Sangali-Bolong Drivers Association, in an attack in Zamboanga City in July. (Mindanao Examiner)

Woman Committed Suicide Inside Police Jail; Son Kills Own Father In Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 22, 2008) – A woman who was arrested by policemen for stealing at a shopping mall allegedly killed herself Friday inside her detention cell in Davao City in Mindanao, authorities said.

Authorities said the woman, Elizabeth Remollo, 38, was found hanging inside the police cell in San Pedro village. Police said the woman had used a towel to hang herself. It was unknown if her family was informed of her death.

In Tagum City in Davao del Norte province, police arrested a 27-year old man, who killed his 61-year old father Rodolfo Panoy on Thursday.

Police said suspect, Ronald Panoy, was arrested after the murder. It said the young man was under the influence of illegal drugs when he attacked his father. (Romy Bwaga)

Muslim Motorcar Operator Killed In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 22, 2008) – Police is investigating the murder of a Muslim businessman who was shot several times in an attack in Zamboanga city in the southern Philippines.

Police said Ibno Yusop, president of the Sangali-Bolong Drivers Association, was killed by one of two unidentified men on a motorcycle along Canelar Moret, a village near downtown Zamboanga, on Monday.

The motive of the attack was unknown and Yusop’s family said the victim had no known enemies and was a respected motorcar operator.

Yusop was waiting for passengers when he was attacked. He was killed instantly from different gunshot wounds in the body. Yusop’s body was sprawled on the street when policemen arrived.

The rising cases of unsolved murders and kidnappings in Zamboanga City have worried residents, but authorities continue to downplay the incidents and had tagged previous killings as isolated.

Zamboanga was also bombed in the past by Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen Kill Ship Owner In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 4, 2008) – Two motorcycle gunmen killed a ship owner in an attack in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, police said.

Police said the Faustino Saavedra and his wife Floria, were on a car when gunmen attacked them near downtown Zamboanga late Thursday. The woman was unhurt in the attack. Saavedra’s family owns the Ever Lines Shipping Company in Zamboanga City.

“We are still investigating the killing,” said Police Insp. Ibrahim Jambiran.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but it was not the first time that a businessman had been killed in Zamboanga City by gunmen. Previous attacks blamed on assassins included journalists, doctors, lawyers and traders.

Zamboanga is one of the most dangerous cities in the southern Philippines because of the presence of gun-for-hire and the proliferation of illegal weapons, mostly in the hands of criminals and rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Military Absolves Troops In Sulu Massacre

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Muslims March In Sulu To Protest Killings Of Civilians

Hundreds of Muslims join a rally Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, on Sulu province in the southern Philippines, calling for justice for seven civilians killed during a military operation. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called for a thorough military investigation into the killings of the seven civilians and an off-duty soldier during an operation against al-Qaida-linked militants in the southern Philippines, the Defense chief Gilbero Teodoro said Saturday. Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan vows to give justice to the victims. The human rights groups Suara Bangsamoro and Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society also denounce the killings. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 09, 2008) – Thousands of people marched in Sulu province Saturday condemning the killings of seven innocent Muslims by government soldiers during an operation against the militant Abu Sayyaf group.

Filipino troops trained by US forces were blamed for the killing of 8 people during a military operation early Monday in the town of Maimbung in Sulu province. Among the dead were two children and two teenagers, including a pregnant woman and an off-duty army soldier.

Many marchers were chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) while others took turn in criticizing the military for the death of the civilians.

“We hate them. We hate the soldiers and we don’t want them here,” one protester, Jul Ismael, said. “Those soldiers are Muslim killers and blood is now on their hands.”

The military insisted the operation targeted the Abu Sayyaf and that two soldiers and three militants were also killed in the fighting. But the Commission on Human Rights which investigated the killings said there were no Abu Sayyaf militants in the village and that the soldiers were probably killed by their companions when they surrounded and attacked houses in the village.

Mayor Hussin Amin, of Jolo town, joined the marchers, composed mostly of civil society groups, non-governmental organizations and Muslim religious sector, and said they were demanding justice for the killings. “We want justice for killings of innocent people. We want those involved in the murder to pay for their crimes. We want them lock up in jail,” he said.

The soldiers who raided the village were members of the Army's Light Reaction Company, trained by US forces, and Navy's Special Warfare Group.
Two of the largest Muslim human rights groups, the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society and the Suara Bangsamoro also joined the protests. “We want justice. There should be no cover up of this barbaric and dastardly act,” said Amira Lidasan, national president of the Suara Bangsamoro.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro also arrived in Sulu on Saturday and met with Gov. Sakur Tan and assured that there will be no cover up in the ongoing investigation into the killing of the civilians. He said President Gloria Arroyo ordered a probe into the incident.

“The instruction of President Arroyo is to have a credible investigation,” he said. “I am here today to reassure of a factual investigation into the incident. I am here to convey that we will be cooperating full with the investigations.”

Teodoro met with families of those killed in the raid and heard the testimony of Rawina Wahid, wife of the slain soldier, Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the 6th Infantry Division.

She said the raiders dragged her husband out of their thatched house in the village despite his plea. “My husband told the soldiers that he is a member of the Philippine Army, but they never listened and dragged him out of the house, bound his hands behind his back and then shot him. They did not listen to our pleading and they killed my husband,” she said.

The woman said there were no Abu Sayyaf militants in the village, but civilians. “People in our village are just seaweed farmers. We are all civilians and there is no Abu Sayyaf in the village,” she said.

“I saw four American soldiers on the boat and Filipino blinded folded me,” she told reporters. Wahid said she boarded a Philippine Navy boat that took her husband's remains to a military base in Jolo town.

ABS-CBN television reported that other villagers also noticed the presence of US soldiers on the boat. It quoted reports by the human rights groups Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society and the Suara Bangsamoro that the presence of the US forces in the area raised concerns about its involvement in local military operations, which violates the Philippine Constitution.

Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of an anti-terror task force in Sulu province, denied the reports and said US soldiers were not involved in the operation. "No US soldiers were involved in the operation and they were not even near the town when the fighting broke out," Rafael said.

Other who survived that carnage said soldiers took their animals and ransacked their houses, but three villagers said the raiders, many wearing night vision goggles, torched three thatched houses.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said he ordered soldiers involved in the operation to cooperate with the ongoing investigations. “I have ordered the troops to be open in the investigation and to tell the truth,” he said.

Tan said the police will also investigate the killings of the civilians. He branded the killings as “barbaric and dastardly.” One of the victims was shot at close range in the forehead, his right eye was gorged and right ear missing. One had a missing finger while another had burns on his body and legs.

Those killed were identified as Marisa Payian, 4; Wedme Lahim, 9; Alnalyn Lahim, 15; Sulayman Hakob, 17; Kirah Lahim, 45; Eldisim Lahim, 43; Narcia Abon, 24; all civilians and Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

Tan has condemned the killings of the innocent civilians and vowed to file criminal charges against the soldiers. He said many of those killed were shot in the head.

"Innocent civilians were killed. The children were shot in the head. We condemned the killings and those soldiers involved in the murder of innocent people must be charged in court and pay for their crimes," Tan said.

Philippine flags around Sulu were flown at half-mast since Tuesday as Muslims mourn the deaths of innocent civilians.

On Thursday, the SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child rights and welfare groups, strongly condemned the killings and urged for an independent probe of the incident.

"The usual casualties in this campaign are innocent civilians, particularly women and children. The incident again proved that the anti-terrorism campaign as well as the counter-insurgency program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines directed against the handful Abu Sayyaf and other armed groups is absorbed more by the civilian population rather than their real targets," Alphonse Rivera, the group's spokesman, said.

"Every incident involving military personnel as perpetrators is dismissed by the military top-brass as casualties of "legitimate encounters" to justify their acts and escape culpability. The next thing we will hear is that the military will insist that these children are also Abu Sayyaf members as if that will justify the killing," Rivera said.

Reps. Yusop Jikiri, of Sulu province and Mujiv Hataman, of Basilan have separately called for a congressional investigation into the killings in Maimbung town.

Jikiri, a former rebel leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, said the off-duty soldier killed along with seven civilians was shot in front of his wife.

"Wahid was reportedly hogtied first before he was shot in front of her. The wife, in fact, showed the military uniform of her husband, but the soldiers merely ignored the plea of Mrs. Wahid. Later, Mrs. Wahid was taken by the soldiers to the rubber boat allegedly driven by an American soldier," Jikiri said in a privilege speech in Congress on Wednesday.

Hataman also filed a resolution on Thursday seeking for an urgent investigation of the killings, which he described as "despicable, loathsome and ruthless."

"There is no valid reason, especially for the soldiers who are supposed to be the protector of the people, to kill innocent civilians, particularly children," he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

3 Muslims Killed In Zamboanga Restaurant Attack

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 16, 2007) – Three Muslim men were killed in an attack Friday inside a restaurant in the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga, police said.

Police said two gunmen opened fire on the trio at around 8 a.m. near downtown Zamboanga. “The perpetrators escaped after the shooting. We still don’t know the motive of the attack,” a police telephone operator said.

He said the gunmen fled on two motorcycles along with three other companions who waited outside the diner.

Police said the victims were natives of Basilan province. Local television reports, quoting an unidentified police official, claimed the three men were followers of a politician in Basilan.

It was unknown whether the killings were connected with the assassination of Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar.

Akbar and his driver were killed in Tuesday bombing of the south entrance of the Philippine House of Representatives. Two other congressional aides were killed and 14 more injured, including two lawmakers.

A parked motorcycle rigged with explosives was detonated as Akbar was about to board his car. Security forces also killed three men linked to the bombing in a firefight Thursday in the village of Payatas near the House of Representatives.

Officials said three other accomplices and a police commando were wounded in the fighting after government forces raided a hideout of suspected bombers.

Police said one of those captured was a Muslim man who was a driver of former Basilan Rep. Abdulgani Salapuddin, Akbar’s political opponent. Salapuddin has denied any links to Akbar’s killing.

Soldiers and policemen recovered documents linked to the motorcycle used in the bombing. Police said the bombing targeted Akbar, but no group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack, although supporters of the slain lawmaker blamed his enemies and a faction in the military as behind the blast.

Soldiers had linked Akbar to the beheading of 14 marines early this year in Basilan’s Al-Barka town after a firefight with rebels. He was also branded as one of the founder of the militant group called Abu Sayyaf, but he had previously denied all allegations.

One of Akbar’s four wives, Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar, has appealed to President Gloria Arroyo to help them get justice. “Governor Jum Akbar is appealing to the President for the speedy solution to the murder. Those responsible must pay,” Chris Puno, the provincial spokesman, told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Akbar, a rebel leader-turned-preacher, was buried Wednesday just outside their house in the village of Sumagdang in Basilan’s Isabela City. Akbar’s backyard is filled with placards from supporters asking for justice for the murder of the man many looked up as a great leader.

“He was truly a great leader. The sentiments of the people are very strong. The people are still mourning the loss of such a good man. It is now up to the government to find the perpetrators of this killing,” Puno said.

But some said Akbar was not a hero as what others portrayed him to be.

“You’re making him out as though the guy is some kind of ethereal hero…something which he most definitely is not! A lot of people may have loved him - profited from his rule - but a whole lot more are mighty pleased this all came about.”

“He is not a hero and most of all he was idolized by many in Basilan. The guy is dead. Leave him alone. The more you portray him as a martyr, the more that you shall hear the truth about him from people who actually lived in the Province he considered to be his own personal playpen,” an e-mail sent to the regional newspaper, Mindanao Examiner, said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Japanese Executive Killed In Central Philippines' Cebu Island

CEBU CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 13, 2007) – A Japanese executive was killed in a gun attack Tuesday in the central Filipino province of Cebu, police said.

Police said two unidentified motorcycle gunmen ambushed Hiroshi Kosaka, 49, at a stop light on a highway in Mandaue City while on his way to the airport.

Kosaka, owner of the Hong Kong Travel and Tours in Cebu province, was with his Filipino girlfriend identified only by the police as Bianca, and a driver, Efren Rosales, when ambushed, police said.

Senior Superintendent Rodel Calungsod, city police force, ordered a thorough investigation into the killing of the foreigner.

“His two companions were unhurt in the attack,” a police officer, Gilbert dela Cruz, of the Mandaue City Police Office, told the Mindanao Examiner.“Investigations are going on and we still don’t know the motive of the killing.”

He said Kosaka’s car was heavily tinted and that he was sitting at the rear with his girlfriend, when the gunmen, both wearing a crash helmet, opened fire with a .45-caliber pistol killing the Japanese. Kosaka was to return to Japan when killed.

Extra-judicial killings are rampant in Cebu, a favorite holiday destination by Japanese and Koreans. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Lawmaker Urges Police To Probe Killings Of Poll Officers

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 11, 2007) – A Philippine senator on Sunday called for a though investigation into the recent killings of two elections officials.

Alioden Dalaig, the chief of the Commission on Elections’ Legal Department, was shot late Saturday by a lone gunman near his office in downtown Manila, and Joseph del Rosario, also a COMELEC officer in Cavite province, had also been murdered.

Police said the killings were unrelated.

“Though these two incidents may be unrelated to each other and to the victims’ line of work, it still calls for a thorough investigation and for the killers to be identified and locked up behind bars,” Senator Mar Roxas said in a statement sent Sunday to the Mindanao Examiner.

“I feel very sad for them and their families that their lives had to end this way,” he said.

Dalaig, who had been serving for thirty years and was about to retire, handled all legal cases in the COMELEC, including those concerning electoral protests. Dalaig also signed the arrest order against a former COMELEC officer Lintang Bedol, who was linked to alleged poll cheating in May that favored President Gloria Arroyo.

Bedol, who is now in hiding, is facing contempt charges after he failed several times to attend a COMELEC hearing.

The motives in the two killings were unknown, but police said it recovered P300,000 from Dalaig’s pocket. (Mindanao Examiner)

Families Of Murdered Civilians Appeal For Protection In South RP

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 03, 2007) – Families of three logging workers murdered in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Sur have appealed for help from authorities after receiving death threats.

The workers, Pablito Itom, 49; Earl Stanly Itom, 15; and Larry Sumile, 31, were killed last week by a man called Sultan in the village of Karandangan in the town of Lumba Bayabao.

Four other workers, Fernando Catibud, Gedeon Ermac, Christopher Gavino and Alfred Cidera escaped, but were also receiving death threats from the group of Sultan. The attackers have threatened to kill whoever informs the authorities about the killings.

Sultan killed the four in anger after they failed to cut his logs. The man is a known warlord in the town and was implicated in several murders in the past.

It was unknown why the police and military failed to arrest Sultan, but families of the slain workers said no one had tried to file criminal charges against the suspect because of his goons.

Families of the victims said the slain workers will be buries next week, but they fear that the group of Sultan may also kill them. (Merlyn Manos)