BUTUAN CITY- Not even the spirit of Christmas of love, giving and caring could spare the rise of hate crimes in Caraga Region, today’s poorest among 16 regions in the country.
This developed as nine persons were victimized in just a matter of days. Most of them were victims of jungle bolo fight to stabbing and hacking using sharp bladed weapons that topped the police blotters in different police precints in Caraga Region.
In Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte, 32-year-old farmer Armando Mamalyas Fuentes, married and resident of Purok 4, Barangay Malicato and bystander, out-of-school youth Segundino Lingatong, Jr., 16, a resident of the same place sustained stab wounds in different parts of their bodies after the two engaged in a one-on-one jungle bolo fight Sunday afternoon. The two are now confined at the ICU of a hospital here in Butuan City. Bloody vengeance among relatives of the two is feared. The reason of their bloody confrontation – the young protagonist allegedly was always shouting invective, abusive words at the 32-year-old farmer who was suspected to have reported to authorities about his illegal drug activities among youngsters in their area.
In Surigao City, the body of a male age between 30 to 35, 5’4” in height between 40 to 50 kilograms in weight was found dead lying in his own pool of blood at the pavement of a road in a grassy portion in Kilometer 15, Barangay Trinidad.
The victim wearing black t-shirt and denim pants with tattoo in his right leg sustained multiple stab wounds in different parts of the body, police said.
In Tago, Surigao del Sur, 15-year-old farmer Ryan Marticion Edillor was rushed to the Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center in Tandag City after sustaining hacked wounds in different parts of the body. He is now confined at the ICU of the said hospital. Reportedly Edillor and a certain Willy Degara Mendoza, 40, married were engaged in a jungle bolo fight Sunday morning in sitio Cabuque, Barangay Unidos, Tago, Surigao del Sur. Mendoza however, voluntarily surrendered to authorities.
Here in Butuan City, laborer Alvin Lara Valdaso was found dead lying at the pavement of the road at Purok 25, Sitio San Roque, Barangay Tungao. Valdaso had several head injuries and police investigators said he was last seen in the company of of a certain Pedro Elicano Calubre Jr., married, and also a resident of the same place. – Ben Serrano