Farmhand, ex-cop tagged in another massacre; 8 killed

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Calamba, Laguna – A man with a grudge stole an Armalite rifle and ammunition from his boss then went on a shooting spree in Barangay Hornalan, Calamba City in Laguna province, killing eight people and wounding six others, most of them children, police said.

Five of the fatalities were aged 4 to12 years and were sleeping inside their respective homes when the attacker opened fire with an M-16 rifle late Sunday night, said Laguna provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas.

Senior Superintendent Cris Laxa, regional director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), identified the fatalities as Dennis Balisong, 29; his twin daughters Gladys and Gladyn, 7; Gerry, 49; Gloria, 39; Mary Jane, 12, Sarah 9 and Julian, 4, all surnamed Pili.

Wounded and now being treated at the hospital were Marina Balisong, 31; Denmark Balisong, 5; Aurelio Abanilla, 52; Vicente Redondo, 42, Cherry May Pili, 17; and Erika Pili, 8.

Latest reports gathered by CIDG probers showed that two of the wounded victims also died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

All the victims work as land tillers for a local politician in the area. Their houses are some 500 meters apart.

Responding policemen found more than 90 spent Armalite rifle shells from the crime scene, with one of the houses incurring more than 60 hits.

Investigation showed that the gunman, in an apparent fit of rage, first opened fire at the house of the Balisongs, then proceeded to the Pilis and also rained bullets on the house. The victims were all asleep at the time.

Awakened by the burst of gunfire, the Abanillas went out to check the commotion but were also met with gunshots. Aurelio was hit in the thigh and back.

A certain Nestor told CIDG prober PO3 Edwin Castro that he escaped injury by hiding behind tall bushes near their house.

Another witness said he escaped by hiding under thick pillows.

From the Abanilla and Pili houses, the suspect proceeded to other houses and also fired several shots.

The random shooting also killed two cows and a dog. Several vehicles parked along the road were also hit.

“We heard several gunshots and voices of Balisong’s children shouting for help. After 10 minutes I saw a man with an armalite in front of Pili’s house, who opened fire. I was standing at the terrace when the man arrived, so I ran inside the house to hide,” Juanito Umali, Pili’s neighbor, told The STAR. 

Umali’s daughter Eusebia said she rushed to the back of the Pili house and saw the couple lying in a pool of blood while the three children were found inside their bedroom, all dead.

Crime solved, suspect missing

Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, police regional director for the Calabarzon area, announced yesterday afternoon the swift solution of the gruesome crime.

He also ruled out any connection between the RCBC robbery in Cabuyao and the so-called Hornalan massacre.

“This particular case is now solved. This has no connection with the RCBC case,” Padilla declared in a press briefing.

He said the suspect has been identified as 38-year-old Bernabe de Fiesta, alias Abe and a native of Kidapawan City, North Cotabato.

According to Padilla, De Fiesta was a caretaker at the vegetable farm of retired policeman SPO4 Florencio Peria in the area.

“(De Fiesta) is now the subject of our manhunt within the vicinity of Barangay Hornalan and in Bay, Laguna,” Padilla said.

On the other hand, Peria is now in police custody and would also be charged because it was established that he owns the M-16 rifle used by the suspect in the commission of the crime.

During initial questioning Peria, who retired last year, denied he was the owner of the rifle used by the suspect in his shooting rampage, telling probers that he only owns a caliber .45 pistol.

But when confronted with evidence, an M-16 magazine with his name on it recovered by police at the crime scene, he eventually admitted the firearm was his.

The retired policeman later told Laguna province police chief Rojas that De Fiesta stole the firearm as he denied any participation in the crime.

Spared

According to Padilla, the suspect was mad at the victims for constantly humiliating him.

A 17-year-old male who is now under police custody said that the suspect, after his killing spree, passed by his shanty and called him to come out to be killed also.

The witness told the police he prevailed upon De Fiesta not to kill him. The suspect then entered his house and asked for coffee. The suspect then informed him that he had killed the victims for constantly humiliating him.

“He asked for coffee and while drinking he said he killed Gerry and Balisong,” Padilla said.

Police said the suspect was alone during the commission of the crime, but they are not discounting the possibility that he may have acted with the help of other people.

“We are still cross-matching empty shells recovered from the crime scene to determine if only a single firearm was used in the commission of the crime,” Padilla said.

The police will file multiple murder charges against Peria and De Fiesta. PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said that although there is information that De Fiesta committed the crime alone, the police decided to include Peria in the charges because he initially denied that he owns the rifle. 

The massacre came three days after robbers barged into the RCBC branch in Cabuyao in the same province and shot dead 10 people in the head, triggering nationwide outrage.

Technology against crime

Meanwhile, Vice President Noli de Castro underscored the crucial role of technology and forensic science in crime control and suppression.

Speaking during the 63rd anniversary of the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame yesterday morning, De Castro said crimes and criminals are becoming more sophisticated, even in hiding from the law.

“The challenge to all of us is to meet the growing sophistication of crimes and criminals. And without doubt, the battlefield is in the area of technology,” De Castro said.

The Vice President acknowledged the limitations of police forensic investigation in terms of equipment and technology, but emphasized that police forensic examiners are highly competent in their fields of expertise.

“Despite their limitations in financial and technological resources, we have seen the skills of our medico-legal and forensic experts. We hope to give our experts all the equipment they need in their task,” the Vice President said in Filipino. — Ed Amoroso, Cecille Suerte Felipe, AP