Kin of 2 boys slain by guard seek help

MANILA, Philippines - Relatives of two boys shot dead by a security guard as they were swimming in the river in Barangay San Agustin, Malabon City last week are asking for assistance.

Roland Dagudoy, 17; Christian Santos, a fourth grader, and Dagudoy’s older brother, Erwin, were swimming near the DRB Compound at around 2 p.m. Monday when Jose Genorga, 25, fired his shotgun, Malabon police chief Senior Superintendent Severino Abad said.

Genorga surrendered to the police after the incident. He told The STAR the shotgun went off when he tripped.

He said there had been a lot of times when they caught children entering their compound and stealing items by wading in the river and scaling their walls.

Santos’ mother, Monalisa, said they have no money to pursue the case against Genorga’s security agency. She also said Funeraria Cruz, which is located in Manila, is asking them to pay P70,000 for the burial.

Monalisa claimed that since her child died in a Manila hospital, the funeral parlor’s agents forced them to get their services.

“We don’t have that amount. We are only poor people who sometimes don’t even have money to buy food,” she said.

Monalisa said Roland Hernandez, who introduced himself as the funeral parlor’s operations manager, said they will help her family but she had been going to the funeral parlor’s office and no one wanted to talk to her.

Malabon officials said the river was not fit for swimming as it was so dirty and the place where the incident occurred was a few meters from a shantytown.