Person found dead in Carmen identified

The person, who was found dead dead in a grassy portion of Sitio Acacia, Cogon East in Carmen past 7 p.m., on Sunday, August 28, is already identified.

CEBU CITY, Philippines —Police have identified the man who was found lifeless in a grassy portion of Sitio Acacia, Cogon East in Carmen past 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 28, 2022, the day the town was celebrating its annual fiesta in honor of St. Augustine.

Police Major Eric Gingoyon, chief of Carmen Police Station, identified the victim as Jimson Villaganas, 40, a resident of Tabuelan town, which is approximately 54 kilometers northwest of Carmen.

According to Gingoyon, they found out that Villaganas went to Carmen to attend the fiesta celebration with his friends and relatives.  

Gingoyon said witnesses told police that the victim was allegedly mauled by a group of habal-habal drivers, who responded to the alleged report of sexual harassment committed by the victim.

Gingoyon said they are trying to find out if the victim indeed harassed women as this remains hearsay for now since no one reported this to their station. However, he said that they interviewed some witnesses who claimed that the allegation was true.

The alleged sexual harassment happened on that night just beside the national highway in front of the public market of the said barangay.

“Ni pass out daw ni tungod sa kahubog ug nilakaw subay sa highway padulong Metro unya manghikap sa atubangan sa babaye nga iya masugatan. Mao nangasuko ang mga kauban ug uyab sa babaye nga iya hikapon ug niapil ang uban mga tawo ug drivers nga nakita sa iya pagbinastos mao natabangan ug kulata,” Gingoyon said.

(He reportedly passed out for being so drunk then he was able to walk towards Metro and while doing so, he was allegedly touching women he met. That’s why the companions and boyfriends of those he touched got angry and joined drivers and other people who saw him touch women in beating him.)

The victim was still attended to by medical responders after being mauled, police said. He was carried into an ambulance to be brought to a hospital but he managed to escape. A sketchy police report from the Carmen Police Station said that he jumped out of the ambulance “with his head first and hit the concrete pavement.”

It added that although the victim suffered wounds, he still managed to run and then bumped into a concrete fence and other hard objects, sustaining more injuries until he landed in the area where he was found. 

Those who found the victim brought him to a hospital but he was declared dead upon arrival.

Gingoyon advised the family of the victim to have his body autopsied to know what caused his death, whether this is from the  mauling or his self-inflicted injuries.

As of this posting, there is still no update from the family.

/bmjo

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