Senators: Arrest suspects in lumad killings

By BEN SERRANO,
Correspondent

TANDAG CITY- Two Senators who now heads the Senate Inquiry on lumad killings here ordered the National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces (AFP) to arrest all 23 suspects in the Sept 1 killings of two lumad leaders and tribal school head—as soon as possible.

Senator Teofisto Guin-gona who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) and Chair on Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation and Senator Aquilino Pi-mentel, III, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, spearheaded and presided the two-day Oct. 1 -2, 2015 Senate Inquiry here in this capital city of Surigao del Sur.

Irked, the two Senators ordered PNP-Caraga regional director Chief Supt. Vert Chavez and Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Director Senior Supt. Narciso Verdadero to immediately arrest Loloy Tejero, Bobby Tejero who is allegedly leader of the Magahat tribal armed group and Margaito “Garito” Layno prime suspects in the September 1, 2015 killings of tribal leader Dionel Campos, Datu Auelio Sinzo and Alcadev School Director Emerico Samarca.

The two got irked after no less than Diocese of Tandag Bishop Nerio Od-chimar during the first day of the inquiry yesterday told the two Senators that the lumad killings continue and nothing has been done since lumad killings by alleged Magahat Bagani armed groups last year.

In fact according to Bishop Odchimar, there were already past agreements reached before between military, PNP, LGUs with religious, NGOs as witnesses of signing the agreement to thoroughly investigate, identify, brought to justice and if possible jail the suspects in the series of lumads killings in the same areas Lianga and San Miguel towns last year 2014.

But Odchimar claimed nothing happens until now, and then this August 9, 2015 and September 1, 2015 killings happened again by which until now the three suspects Loloy Tejero, Bobby Tejero and Garit Layno until are now are now not arrested, remained at large and still roaming around the province.

In yesterday’s hearing here, Datu Mampapalanog or Datu Victor Manpatilan, tribal chieftain of the Higaonon tribes not only in Caraga Region but in Bu-kidnon in Region 10 voiced out his dismay why there was no Senate investigation too in the killings of more than 300 lumads killed.

At least four eyewitnesses in the Sept. 1, 2015 lumad leaders killings in Sitio Han-ayan, Km. 16, Baran-gay Diatagon, Lianga, Suri-gao del Sur and one eyewitness in the Aug. 9, 2015 another lumad killings in Bulho-on, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur were able to speak and manifest in the first day of the Senate Inquiry.