3 Apayao farmers torched over fishing area

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet  – A disagreement over a fishing area locally called “lapat” led to the massacre of three farmers in Pudtol town in Apayao, a report from the Cordillera police said.

A fourth would-be victim however escaped to tell the harrowing ordeal to policemen.

Apayao police director Sr. Supt. Albertito Garcia said lone survivor Elevencio Matulot, 44, narrated that, he together with Felix Matulot, 75; Jayson Acob, 29; Rogelio Rupad, 39, all farmers from Lower Maton, Pudtol town, went to sitio Magabobong, Upper Maton, to visit their old house Friday last week.

On the following day, the victims found out that their “lapat” (no fishing area) was disturbed.

The farmers allegedly suspected Dionisio Batalao Bernal, Tubban Luban, Beltran Francisco, Divina Dandan, Gerald Daluguis, Marcelo Luban, Alex Luban, Bryan Bernal and Charlie Igwad from Kabugao town in Apayao responsible for such.

On Sunday, Bernal and the other suspects went to the old house of the victims, leading to a  heated argument.

The survivor said he was then at the river and was about to return to the old house when one of the suspects fired at him but missed.  He ran away and while escaping, he heard three successive gunshots coming from the direction of the old house.

Matulot sought refuge in his mother’s house in Waga, Kabugao, and on Monday he used a motorized boat to report the incident to the personnel of Pudtol town policemen.

Immediately, the police together with the relatives of the victims went to the crime scene and found that the house was already burned down together with the victims.

The charred bodies of the victims were identified by their families, while police which processed the crime scene found fired cartridges of a shotgun.
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A manhunt is now underway to catch the suspects of the massacre, the Apayao police vowed