Cris, the battered wife

Months before the Joey Marquez-Kris Aquino squabble, on the morning of April 4, 2003, residents along Dagupan street, Tondo, Manila showed they will never tolerate domestic violence, especially against women.

At around 8 a.m., the neighborhood heard a heated argument between 35-year-old barker Alfredo Bugarin Caimbon and his wife, 38-year-old vendor Crisanta Alfaro Caimbon, inside their house located at 1021-C on Dagupan street.

Conversely, it was not the first time that the residents heard the Caimbon couple in a fight. But this time, it was more violent than the usual squabble. Amid the curses and the usual plates breaking, they heard punches as well as screams coming from Crisanta.

The concerned neighbors realized that the fight might lead to a death of a person. From one of Crisanta’s friends, a call was made to Patrol 117, which immediately referred the case to the Lawton PCP.

The call was acknowledged by desk officer PO1 Francisco Amponin, who immediately dispatched PO3 Felipe Manlutac, PO2 Roderick de los Santos and PO2 Reynaldo Ferrer.

In less than five minutes, the three responding policemen arrived at the Caimbon household while some of the neighbors were gathered around the house. The police found out the couple were still in the middle of a violent fight. Just as when they are about to break in at the front door, it was opened as Crisanta ran out of the house still in her household dress screaming for help. The three immediately secured her and stopped Alfredo from following. They brought the couple immediately to the precinct for questioning.

The case was immediately referred to the Women and Children’s Concern Section (WCCS). The investigation, led by Inspector Zhirlanda Macaraig, Inspector Rosalyn Sy and PO1 Maxima Fernandez, found out that the root of the fight was not the usual third party involved (usually discovered through text messages). This time, the wife was questioning her husband’s involvement in selling shabu.

Crisanta was angry that Alfredo had an illegal sideline. She argued that they could make ends meet even with the small amount that they were earning. She also had suspicions that Alfredo was using illegal drugs. Annoyed by Crisanta’s angry words, Alfredo responded violently and beat her up. In the process, Crisanta tried to shield herself but Alfredo was stronger and she suffered severe eye injuries and several bruises on various parts of her body.

Had the police arrived late, Crisanta could have suffered more physical and fatal injuries. It also follows that a battered wife is more affected psychologically and emotionally.

On the same day, with the help of her relatives, Crisanta had the appropriate medical test to record the physical injuries she suffered under the hands of Alfredo that morning. Eventually, the aforementioned WCCS investigators filed the appropriate charges against Alfredo at the City of Manila Prosecutor’s office, facilitated by Inquest Prosecutor Alexander Ramos.

But it is not all Crisanta’s and her neighbor’s gain as peace and order was restored in their lives. Besides the valuable lesson that a household violent fight between couple is never a private issue to resolve, the people involved were informed that such crime can be prevented by the citizenry’s vigilance with the help of agencies like Patrol 117.

Through the referral of Western Police District Director, Police Chief Superintendent Pedro Estrella Bulaong, proper commendation and awards were also recommended for Macaraig, Sy, PO1 Maxima Hernandez, PO3 Felipe Manlutac, PO2 Roderick de los Santos and PO2 Reynaldo Ferrer for jobs well done.

Right now, Alfredo is in jail and Crisanta is back at home. When asked if she’s still willing to accept Alfredo, she gave a resounding no.