'Kuratong on killing spree'

MANILA, Philippines - The Kuratong Baleleng is on a killing spree in Ozamiz City with a community worker being the criminal gang’s latest victim, a senior administration lawmaker said yesterday.

Misamis Occidental Rep. Loreto Leo Ocampos, the Liberal Party chairman for the region, said Ramon Pelare, his close aide, was killed by two attackers at around 7:30 a.m. Monday while he was on his way to the district office in Ozamiz.

Pelare was Ocampos’ deputy chief of staff for special projects and community development.

He was stabbed more than 30 times by one of the suspects, whom Ocampos identified as “Epok,” a son of alleged Kuratong Baleleng ring leader Ardot Parojinog, based on initial reports of the autopsy done by the Medina General Hospital where Pelare was rushed and pronounced dead on arrival.

The lawmaker said the killing was politically motivated. “Ramon handled my special projects to the poor and deserving constituents of the second district,” he said.

Pelare last visited the remote mountain municipality of Don Victoriano to deliver fertilizers and medicine last week.

“Ramon is a very important part of my core team and think tank consultants for the proper distribution and implementation of projects in my district,” Ocampos said.

“We grieve Ramon’s killing, and we are crying for justice for his merciless killing,” he said, quoting a beneficiary of water system projects in the hinterlands of Ozamiz, who refused to be identified due to fear of reprisal from the Kuratong Baleleng and the Parojinogs.

“We will never stop until we get justice for Ramon,” said Arthur Mirabueno, Ocampos’ chief of staff.

Ocampos said that in September last year, “there were as many killings as the number of days of that month.”

“And all these killings were left unsolved up to this date. One of the victims is one Alfredo Abergas who was also murdered in cold blood in broad daylight right in front of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas building in Ozamiz City,” he said.

According to police investigators, he said there was a CCTV footage showing Epok Parojinog allegedly stabbing Abergas “in the heart.” 

Until now, Abergas’ killing has been left unsolved, he said.

Ocampos called for a command conference of all police and military units in Misamis Occidental and Ozamiz City in particular, on Tuesday to specifically address the unabated killings in the province.