The quest for justice for the killing of three villagers from Agawa, Besao, Mtn. Province sometime in the last week of May 2019 near Baclingayan, Tabacda, Tubo, Abra gained a step with the Resolution dated August 8, 2019, penned by Prosecutor Gerardo M. Tagura, Deputy Provincial Prosecutor of the Province of Abra and duly approved by Acting Provincial Prosecutor Ferdinand Palma, recommending the filing of three counts of murder against one, Marlon Bacali Batuli, a native of Tabacda, Tubo, Abra.
It may be recalled that Jansen Gabaen, Ronnie Macayba and Pedro Sauyen were found slaughtered within the vicinity of Bacliyangan, Tabacda, Tubo Abra by villagers coming from the different barangays of Besao on May 29, 2019 and by police officers from the Besao Municipal Police Office and from the Tubo Municipal Police Office. Their gruesome murder shocked the otherwise peaceful village of Agawa from where the victims came from as villagers even described their death as gruesome, brutal, savage and a murder committed many times over. For how could one explain the beheading of one of the victims when the days of headhunting may have been forgotten a long time ago?
In his resolution, Prosecutor Tagura noted that “based on the post mortem examination conducted by Dr. Jordan Dongga-as at Bana Kili, Tubo, Abra, Pedro Mabiasan Sauyen died due to multiple gunshot wounds, Jansen Salibungey Gabaen died due to multiple hacking wounds on the neck, face and back of the head. Ronnie Diosan Macayba also died due to hacking resulting in decapitation”.
As noted by Prosecutor Tagura, Batuli confessed to the killing. From the records of the case, Batuli confessed to the Barangay Officials of Tabacda that he killed the three victims in self-defense. As shown by Prosecutor Tagura’s Resolution, Marlon Batuli narrated to the elders of his village that he was at the Lakanga creek at about 5:00 o’clock in the morning of May 24, 2019 when he saw the three men he murdered. At sunrise, he confronted the victims because he allegedly saw an electrofishing device. Instead, one of the men took his caliber .22 rifle and aimed the same to Batuli. Batuli allegedly held on to the barrel of the gun as it fired twice. As they grappled, respondent unsheathed his bolo and hacked the neck of the rifleman who tumbled on the ground. The other victim tried to take possession of the gun but Batuli kicked him and then shot him using the same rifle twice in his neck. Batuli saw the third man upstream approaching whom he shot hitting him at his chest.
The claim of self-defense was debunked by Prosecutor Tagura as he noted that the decapitation of Ronnie Macayba negates self-defense. Prosecutor Tagura noted: “If the respondent was grappling for the rifle, we believe that there was no way for respondent to inflict such a forceful hacking blow to the neck resulting in decapitation. Respondent also claimed that one of the men tried to get the gun but respondent kicked him and then shot his neck twice. None of the three victims suffered any gunshot wound to the neck. The second man, identified as Jansen Gabaen, who was found downstream from the position of Ronnie Macayba died of multiple hacking wounds on the neck, face and back of the head. Respondent also claimed that he shot the third man on the chest when he saw him aiming his shotgun at him. The third victim indeed was shot but the point of entry of the bullets were at his back which means that respondent shot the third man, identified as Ronnie Sauyen, on the back.
While it may be a relief to the families of the victims and the people of the Municipality of Besao that the alleged killer has been identified and that the wheels of justice may finally start to move, there is always the lingering question that it was not only Batuli who murdered the three victims. For how could one man inflict multiple hack wounds at one of his victims, decapitate the other and shot with a rifle the third one? This question and numerous others may finally be answered if and when Batuli will be arrested.** Bart Baldas
