Several resolutions were issued on the brutal murders of three villagers from Besao, Mountain Province condemning the crimes and prodding some quarters to act in the interest of justice.
First was the resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan of the town last June 10, 2019 condemning the crimes committed sometime in May, 2019 in the forest between said town and the town of Tubo, Abra. It stated that the crimes were so “barbaric ….. one was not only beheaded, but sustained many hacks all over his body and with two gunshot wounds while the other two sustained hacks all over their bodies and were found totally naked.” Their corpses were discovered with the decomposition process well underway.
The resolution was forwarded to the office of the provincial governor of Mountain Province and its Sangguniang Panlalawigan. So far, per our sources in the town, these offices or the officials there appear not to have done anything towards attaining justice for the families of the victims.
It was also furnished the counterpart offices of Abra and the Punong Barangay of Tabacda, Tubo, Abra and the municipal mayor there. So far there are no meaningful action from them also.
While information on the gruesome crimes was widely circulated and is still making the rounds in the social media, the Commission on Human Rights appears not to be acting on the matter. As some wags had lamented, they should act to protect the human rights of victims of inhumanity of whatever sort, not just when the victims are leftists or are members of the New People’s Army.
As to the provincial officials of Mountain Province, some iBesaos think their apparent inaction is indicative of their incompetence in serving the interest of their constituents. Such might also be due to the fact that the next election is quite far into the horizon. Yet any kind of incompetence will be long remembered by those who feel violated or neglected, in this case, the people of Besao.
On the side of the Abra offices and officials, their silence is deafening.
Another resolution was passed by the Sangguniang Bayan of Beaso of the same tenor on June 17, 2019 urging the officials of the said Abra barangay, the said town and the province to surrender the suspects but nothing happened. This was after officials of the northern barangays of Besao went to Tabacda, Tubo, Abra and requested for the surrender of the suspects, to which the latter agreed to, but up to now the suspects are still roaming around freely.
The Episcopal clergy of Besao also came up with a resolution last June 20 condemning the barbaric crimes with a prayer that the perpetrators would be brought to the bar of justice.** APP
