HE was a generous neighbor who was the go-to guy in the fishing community on Banacon Island in Getafe town, Bohol.
That was how a barangay official described Rowen “Yawa” Torrefiel Secretaria, the suspected drug lord killed in an alleged shootout Saturday dawn in Sitio Son-ok in the island-barangay of Banacon.
“Buotan siya nga pagkatawo. Bisan naay patik iyang lawas pero way ikasaway sa iyaha kay mohatag siya sa mga nanginahanglan (He was a good person even if he had a lot of tattoos on his body. He was generous to those in need),” the official said.
The community is mourning his death.
“Naguol gyud kay asa na sila mosampit ron (They are saddened because they do not know where to go),” the official said.
Secretaria, who was 33, grew up in Banacon, but was seldom seen on the island, which is a 30-minute pumpboat ride away from Cebu, said SPO1 Danilo Torrecende Sr. of the Getafe Police Station.
Secretaria, however, did not take pumpboats. He usually went home in style, riding on a jetski which is faster, Torrecende said.
The barangay official, who has known Secretaria for about 10 years, said the man would go home at least once a month. Every time, he would give away 40 sacks of rice to be shared evenly among 360 households on the island, the official said.
Secretaria was also generous with his money, lending to whoever needs help and giving financial assistance to ailing residents.
“Mohatag siya labing minus P1,000. Kami mga opisyal, sa kagamay sa among sweldo kay dosentos ray mahatag. Mao moduol sila niya (He gave at least P1,000. With our meager salary, we officials usually give only P200. That’s why the people went to him),” the official said.
But he belied allegations that Secretaria distributed illegal drugs to the residents to entice them to become his bodyguards.
“Daghan lang mokuyog ana niya tungod sa maayong tawo siya (A lot of people go with him because he is a good man),” the official said.
He confirmed that Secretaria owned the house shown on CDN’s front page on Sunday. But he said no one occupied the house on most days. Secretaria was known to go home to Banacon in time for the fiesta in honor of Sta. Cruz, which is held every May 31.
The suspected drug lord owned two smaller houses on the island.
“Mga payag-payag ra to,” the official said.
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