Kalinga elders to hear slay case

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – A council of tribal elders is acquiring jurisdiction of the murder case that police filed against an Army soldier for the fatal shooting of a member of the Tinglayan tribe in Kalinga last Feb. 1, according to a police official.

Senior Superintendent Froilan Perez, Kalinga police director, said the elders would hear the case against Pfc. Ringold Benedict Gomez of the Army’s 21st Infantry Battalion, who shot dead Abe Tiggangay in the remote mountain village of Butbut in Tinglayan town.

Perez said there is a “sipat” (peace pact) recognized by villagers that constitutes part of the country’s legal system inherent with the practices of indigenous groups.

Gomez, who belongs to the Lubuagan tribe, alleged that Tiggangay tried to escape from the hospital after marijuana bricks were found in his possession.

Gomez though earlier had figured in a minor motorcycle accident with Tiggangay who he rushed to the hospital before the marijuana was allegedly found.