Ex-con kills farmer in Malabuyoc

CEBU, Philippines - A 34-year-old farmer was gunned down allegedly by an ex-convict for trying to hit the suspect with a pickaxe in Sitio Pantag, Barangay Cerdeña, Malabuyoc, Cebu last Saturday.

Doretio Baranggan Ababa, single, originally from Barangay Malolos, Barili, Cebu but already a resident of Cerdeña, succumbed to a gunshot wound in the chest just below the neck after Domingo Cabugwas, 51, shot him around 6 p.m.

SPO2 Mario Paler, Malabuyoc Police Station Alert team leader, said that prior to the incident, the victim, his sister-in-law Elizabeth, and the latter’s mother Eleoteria Cardente Devalgue, attended a birthday party hosted by one of their neighbors.

Ababa was playing toss coin with Cabugwas, a resident of Sitio Kaloktogan, Cedeña, when Elizabeth told him that they should go home already. The suspect, though, disagreed, which resulted to an argument between him and Elizabeth.

“Kaning suspek man gud pildihan sa hantak maong di siya musugot papaulion and biktima.  Kaning si Elizabeth wa man musu-got pud hinungdan nga gisukmag siya sa suspek (The suspect lost money in the game and wanted to gain it back, which was why he did not want Ababa to go. But Elizabeth insisted, prompting Cabugwas to punch her)” Paler said.

Elizabeth was hit twice in the face and fell to the ground.

“Ang biktima nilaban sa iyang bilas nikuha og piko unya dayon ug igo sa suspek.  Nakalikay ang kaning suspek pero nadaplisan kuno gihapon sa may dunggan (Ababa got a pickaxe to defend his sister-in-law and swung it at Cabugwas, who managed to dodge so that only an ear got nicked),” Paler added.

He said the suspect was imprisoned before for murder.

“Di man gud ni taga ari ang biktima. Wa siya kahibaw nga kani diay’ng suspek inila nga kriminal sa ilang lugar, na priso naman gani kuno ni siya sa Munti (The victim was not from the place and did not know that he picked a fight with an ex-convict, who served time at the national prison),” Paler said.

Cooler heads intervened and stopped the fight. Deciding to leave, Ababa and Devalgue rode a motorcycle on their way home while Elizabeth opted to walk. Twenty minutes after Ababa and Eleoteria reached home, Cabugwas arrived, went inside the house, and shot Ababa in the chest causing his instant death.

Devalgue, who saw the crime, hurriedly ran outside to ask someone to call the police, while the suspect fled away.

Responding policemen recovered from the crime scene one bullet shell of what they suspect was that of a shotgun, but it is still verified by the crime laboratory.

As of press time, Malabuyoc Police Station was conducting a hot pursuit operation for the possible arrest of the suspect.

Ababa’s body now lies in a public funeral home in Malabuyoc. —/RHM (FREEMAN)