Castil: Nocppo considers all angles in Sagay massacre

BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) said it will look into all the angles that would explain why nine sugar workers in Hacienda Nene, Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City, Negros Occidental were killed.

Nocppo director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil said they “strongly” condemn the “senseless” killing.

Castil said at least 12 men who were armed with high-caliber guns attacked the sugar workers – now called the “Sagay 9” – who were doing a bungkalan (land cultivation) at the hacienda on Oct. 20.

The armed men gunned the sugar workers down while they were resting in their makeshift bunker around 9:30 p.m. that day. Three of the sugar workers who tried to escape were burned.

The victims – two of whom were minors – were all members of the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NFSW) in Negros Island.

Chief Inspector Robert Mansueto, Sagay City police commander, identified the fatalities as Iglicerio Villegas, Angelipe Arsenal, Peter Ras, Dodong Laurenio, Morena Mendoza, Necnec Dumaguit, Bingbing Bantigue, and 17-year-olds Joemarie Ughayon Jr. and Martchel Sumicad.

According to the Sagay City police, the workers were “recruited” by a “leader of a cause-oriented group” to join the bungkalan.

Bungkalan is a program of the NFSW that helps sugar workers survive tiempo muerto or the “dead season” in the sugar industry.

A total of 30 sugar workers joined the bungkalan in Hacienda Nene on Saturday. Citing statements from those who survived the attack, the Sagay City police said the armed men started firing at the workers when the recruiter left.

Castil said the “malicious disappearance of the recruiter” left some questions like “What was the relation of the recruiter to the suspects? Where is the recruiter now? Who is the interested party behind the senseless shooting?”

But the Nocppo chief said they have yet to rule out the involvement of the New People’s Army and other leftist groups in the attack.

Castil said rebels may want “to draw attention and sympathy” and thus made the Sagay 9 their “sacrificial lambs.”

Land conflict was another angle in the attack, he added.

The property is owned by Carmen Tolentino but leased to Allan Subinco, police said.

The NFSW, however, claimed that the lot is covered by the agrarian reform.

Meanwhile, Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said he will give P500,000 to anyone who can provide information that can lead to the identification of the suspects.

Malacañang on Monday also condemned “in the strongest way possible” the murder of the sugar workers.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte will personally condole with the relatives of the nine farmers.

“The Palace is deeply perturbed to learn about the incident and the Philippine National Police has already been ordered to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation on this dastardly act,” Panelo said.

He also assured the families of the victims of the “full wrath of the law” against the perpetrators./PN

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