2 MEN FOUND DEAD IN TOLEDO CITY
The family of one of the two victims, whose bodies were found dumped along the road in Toledo City at dawn on Thursday, is blaming the police for the death of their kin.
Junie Abatayo, the younger brother of victim Juniel Abatayo, 29, alleged that his brother and the latter’s companion, Abelardo Salomag, 44, were
“salvaged” by the police, as they were found dead a day after they were released by Lapu-Lapu City policemen over a stolen motorcycle case.
“Basta tinuod hitaboa inyo gipatay akong maguwang sa Campo 8 sa walay klarong sala. Mga pulis man unta mo. Gipangsaligan sa batas pero
inyong gebuhat di mao. (Pi)nangga kaayo ko na ako igsoon. Sweto ko ana niya. (Si)ge lang, Ginoo ray mag igo sa ga salvage sa akong maguwang,” Junie said on a Facebook post on Thursday.
(The truth is you killed my older brother in Campo 8 for no apparent reason. You are policemen. You are supposed to implement the law but what you did was wrong. I love my brother. I know who he is. God will exact justice on those responsible for the salvaging of my brother.)
Junie said he already lost trust in authorities that they would still abide by the laws that govern the country: “Wa nay ayo mga balaod ron…”
Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said he will order an investigation into the claim of the Abatayo family.
“Dili man na namo trabaho. Ang amo gali busy mi sa pag apply og search warrant ug sa mga greyhound operation karon tapos dinha lang diay mi sa shortcut. Dili na lang mi mag apply kon shortcut man gali,” Sinas said.
(That is not the job of the police (to kill). We are now preoccupied with applying for search warrants and doing greyhound operation and then we do shortcuts? We might as well not go through the process if we will only be doing shortcuts.)
Bursts of gunfire
The bodies of Juniel Abatayo and Salomag were found dumped on the roadside of Sitio Cambaye, Barangay Campo 8 in Toledo City at dawn on Thursday, October 25.
Both sustained a gunshot wound on their heads while their faces were covered with cloth.
Residents said they saw a gray colored vehicle parked in the area at around 2 a.m. before bursts of gunfire were heard.
The two dead men were discovered by residents some three hours later.
Sinas said he directed the Toledo City police to coordinate with the victims’ families in their investigation on their deaths.
But this early, Sinas said, he could only suspect that their deaths were related to their involvement in illegal drugs or carnapping activities.
Salomag, he said, had an arrest record with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
The police are now coordinating with PDEA to secure records on Salomag’s drug cases, Sinas said.
Supt. Randy Korret, chief of the Toledo City Police Station, said in a phone interview that they were trying to trace the ownership of the gray vehicle, as this could lead them to the suspects.
Just like Salomag, Abatayo also had police records, as he was allegedly a “hitman” of the crime group where he belonged, said Korret.
Korret said that Abatayo was tasked to execute certain individuals “upon the instructions of his boss.”
Salomag, a mechanic, would also make alterations on vehicles stolen by their group.
Based on the information they gathered, Korret said it was possible that the two men were killed by their colleagues because Abatayo would reportedly often complain that he would only get a small share from their proceeds.
‘Invited for questioning’
Chief Insp. Ardioleto Cabagnot, deputy chief of the Talisay City Police Station, confirmed that Abatayo and Salomag were invited for questioning Sunday dawn after they were accused of stealing a motorcycle from a Lapu-Lapu City resident earlier that day.
Both suspects were residents of Sitio Kawatan in Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City.
Cabagnot said the two were known members of a notorious carnapping group that operates in Talisay City and the neighboring localities of Naga City and Minglanilla in southern Cebu.
Based on the blotter entry of the Talisay City Police Station, a resident of Barangay Saac, Lapu-Lapu City, went to their police station at around 2 a.m. on Sunday to report the loss of his motorcycle.
Policemen accompanied the victim while they went around the city hoping to find the two still unidentified suspects.
The blotter entry stated that the victim and the police team passed by a motorcycle, which was parked on the roadside in Barangay Mananga, Talisay City.
Abatayo and Salomag were still seated on the motorcycle when police passed by them, which prompted the police to arrest the two and bring them to the police station.
The same blotter entry stated that the Talisay police turned over the two suspects to the Lapu-Lapu City police at around 3:30 a.m. of October 24 (Wednesday).
The Lapu-Lapu police, on the other hand, said the two were released from their custody at 6 a.m. of the same day after their victim decided to no longer pursue the filing of a complaint against them after he also recovered his stolen motorcycle.
Their bodies were found dumped in Toledo City the next day with bullet holes on their heads.