Teacher stabbed dead, dumped in Tagoloan

By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

A PUBLIC school teacher who moonlighted as a “habal-habal” driver was stabbed dead and then dumped at a bridge in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, on Wednesday night.

Senior Insp. Maricris Mulat, Tagoloan police chief, identified the victim as Harlem John Baslot, 25, of Barangay Baluarte, Tagoloan.

Villagers found the victim sprawling on the Tagoloan bridge’s gutter at around 5:30 am yesterday. Police said whoever killed Baslot tried to throw off his remains into the river after repeatedly stabbing the victim. Baslot, a teacher at the Claveria National High School, was stabbed to the chest and other parts of the body.
Investigators theorized that the victim fought back.

“Possible kini nga ihulog unta sa tulay apan misangit ang iyang lawas sa daplin sa tubo kilid sa tulay,” Mulat said. Mulat said Baslot was in Tagoloan because he drove a “habal-habal” as a second job. She said the victim’s Hinda XRM motorcycle could not be found, indicating that it was a case of theft.

Baslot’s wife Queenie Mae said her husband moonlighted as a “habal-habal” driver because he needed extra money for gasoline and other family expenses. The victim left behind a two-year old child.

Baslot’s elder brother Joe said the victim was just hired as a teacher in Claveria. “Bag-o pa lagi nadawat pagka-maestro unya nag-sideline habal-habal tungod lagi sa kalisod,” the elder Baslot said. He said the victim went to their father’s house in Claveria to fix his motorcycle on Wednesday afternoon, and planned to pick up passengers on his return to Tagoloan.

“Nagdali gani to kay mamasayro pa kay para naay iyang mabalon pagka-ugma,” he said.