Police said the victim, Eulogio Baltazar, 59, a retired member of the Philippine Constabulary and reportedly belonging to the Philippine Military Academy’s Class 1975, was taking his lunch at Honey’s Restaurant in Barangay Matiao, Mati City when he was shot in the head and body at around 11:35 a.m. yesterday.

Baltazar was rushed to the Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Baltazar’s assailants, one of them wearing a black shirt and shorts, reportedly casually walked away from the crime scene and fled on board a red Honda XR 200 motorcycle toward the adjoining town of Lupon.

Police investigators said Baltazar’s strict implementation of a logging and mining ban in the province could have something to do with his killing. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe

Ronald Sayad, 28, a resident of sitio Balite, Marilog, was hit in the right elbow when the landmine, allegedly planted by the New People’s Army (NPA) under Leoncio Pitao alias Kumander Parago, exploded.

Sayad was driving his motorcycle ahead of a truck belonging to the 69th Infantry Battalion Bravo Company truck when the rebels detonated the landmine.

Sayad was immediately brought to the Robillo General Hospital in Marilog for treatment.

In an interview with reporters, Sayad said he was traversing the Davao-Bukidnon highway when the military truck tried to overtake him.

He said he wanted to give way and so swerved his motorcycle to the side of the road.

That was when the landmine exploded.

Sayad said he initially thought he had been shot by the military, but his X-ray result showed that a bit of shrapnel, not a bullet, was buried in his arm.

First Lieutenant Vincent Tababa, commander of Bravo Company, said he and five of his men were on their way to the Marilog Barangay Hall to attend a peace dialogue when the incident happened.

No soldier was hurt but the truck sustained minor damage.

Tababa said had they not tried to overtake Sayad’s motorcycle, they would have incurred more damage.

Marahan Police Precinct commander Chief Inspector William Corpuz said based on their initial investigation, three persons were seen fleeing the scene when the incident happened.

Corpuz would not confirm if the perpetrators were under Parago because they are still investigating the incident.

Task Force Davao (TFD) spokesperson Major Patrick Cinco, however, told the Mirror that the group under Parago was behind the incident.

He said the TFD explosive ordinance division team that went to the area found the remains of two improvised landmines: wires, detonator, and a few shrapnel.

This was the second landmine incident in the city in the last two months.

The first was when three soldiers under the 69th IB were injured when the Pulang Bagani Command of the NPA staged a landmine ambush in barangay Dalagdag, Calinan District on August 30.

Cinco condemned the NPA attack because the use of landmine has been banned under the Geneva Convention.

The Army’s 10th Infantry Division (10ID) also strongly condemned the attack.

“These local terrorist clearly do not respect the International Humanitarian Law, not even the provision stipulated under the Ottawa Convention banning the use of these explosives by every civilized nation and all entities whether state or non-state actors,” 10ID commander Major General Reynaldo Mapagu said in a statement.

“This has been the fifth roadside IED attack in Davao City in less than three months and this criminal act was boasted by notorious local terrorist Leoncio Pitao in the past months, stating their emplacements of IEDs fashioned out as ‘landmines’ along roadnets to be exploded anytime,” Mapagu added. 

In a regular Sunday public-affairs television program of the city government, the program host, councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta, read a letter sent by local potato growers indicating their resentment to the perceived “unfair” competition posed by the Chinese potatoes that have recently flooded the local market.

The letter said it was seeking Duterte’s help “to investigate if flooding the market with Chinese potatoes was legal and if [the] government has already warranted its health safety.”

Acosta did not mention the name of the sender nor the name of the organization.

“I would take this letter as your complaint and bring this issue to the attention of the proper authorities,” Duterte said.

The mayor said he would assume that “if the national government has allowed the importation, then the selling of these potatoes could be legal.”

He said he has “no adequate know-how” to determine the health concern raised by the local growers regarding the Chinese potatoes. He assured the growers that their complaint would be sent to the Department of Trade and Industry.

Capt. Rosa Ma Cristina R Manuel, in a statement, said Ronald Sayan who was onboard a motorcycle was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded 9:35 a.m. in Sitio Sabunutan in Suawan in Marilog district. Manuel is Army’s 10th Infantry Division (10ID) public affairs officer.

The Army statement said troops of 69th Infantry Battalion led by 1st Lt. Vidi Tababa were traveling along the Davao-Bukidnon road on board a KM450 truck to attend a barangay peace and security meeting at Marilog District. It said Sayan overtook the military truck and was the one injured when the IED exploded.

Sayan was reported to have been immediately taken by the soldiers to Calinan district hospital. No soldier was injured in the blast, said the Army statement although the truck was hit by shrapnel from the IED which it said was “fashioned out as landmine.”

The Army statement put the blame on “local terrorists” or New People’s Army rebels led by Leoncio Pitao. Pitao, allegedly leader of the NPA’s 1st Pulang Bagani Company reportedly operates in the Southern Mindanao region which includes Davao City.

“These local terrorist clearly do not respect the International Humanitarian Law not even the provision stipulated under Ottawa Convention banning the use of these explosives by every civilized nation and all entities whether state or non state actors,” Maj. General Reynaldo B Mapagu, 10ID commanding general, was quoted to have said in the statement.

“This has been the 5th roadside IED attack in Davao City in less than three months and this criminal act was boasted by notorious local terrorist Leoncio Pitao in the past months stating their emplacements of IEDs fashioned out as “landmines” along roadnets to be exploded anytime,” Mapagu added in the statement.

The statement also said that a probe has been launched by Marilog police.

Members of the City Council yesterday expressed alarm over the sudden rise in killings in Davao City after several months of relative peace.

Councilor Angela Librado-Trinidad called on the police to get to the bottom of the killings which claimed 15 lives in August.

Councilor Nilo Abellera, for his part, said he knows the police are doing their best to solve the crimes but need the cooperation of the people.

“The policemen are usually not present when such killings occur,” he said.

Abellera said those who witness the killings must come out and tell the police what they know.

Summary killings dipped in the past few months as the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) began an intensive investigation into them.

CHR chair Leila de Lima has said she believes the killings are being perpetrated by a vigilante group called the Davao Death Squad (DDS) which she has directly linked to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte has denied the allegation. At the height of the CHR probe, he went on leave to give the investigators a free hand.

Duterte reported back to work in August.

The fighting that lasted for almost two hours resulted to the wounding in landmine explosion of S/Sgt. Sedrix Distor, Cpl. Jonas Samortin and Pfc. Germaine Gargoles, all of Bravo Company, 69th Infantry Battalion. – Jaime Laude, Edith Regalado

Bunawan police said truck driver Jaime Japos was killed when his truck hit a Metro Shuttle Bus at around 9 p.m. on August 16.

The injured, mostly passengers of the bus, were identified as Geraldine Gabales, 23; Judith Albon, 27; Joanna Cheryl Sanchez, 20; Jennifer Sanchez, 42; Digna Laga, 32; Christine Cantila, 24; Venus Sanchez, 21; Joseph Bermoy, 20; Michael Maquiling, 33; Jones Guzon, 27;

Monica Dimangadap, 20; Cristia Babay Girl, 5; Monica Dancalus, 22; Jay Ar Dancalus, 18; Nolieren Lambajon, 18; Herson Escalante, 20; Hazel Lambajon, 24; Haniely Lambajon, 18; Agustin Dela Cruz, 32; Lee Lambajon, 51; Donna Ganete, 16 and Ruby Makatumbas, 30.

Police said the bus was bound for Davao City while the bus was going the opposite direction.

The truck tried to overtake another vehicle but hit the bus in the process.

The driver of the bus, identified as Roy Rosales, immediately surrendered to the police after the collision.

Talomo Police identified the victim as Keith William Barsabal, who was shot dead by the unidentified gunmen at around 12:30 a.m. on August 17.

Police said two men had flagged down the victim in Matina Crossing and asked to be brought to Matina Pangi.

As the motorcycle passed through a dimly lit portion, the men shot him in the head, killing him instantly.

The assailants fled using the victim’s motorcycle.

Police are still investigating the case.

The first victim was cabbie Antonio Vergara Jr, 41, a resident of Norton Subdivision, who was found dead inside his taxicab at around 5:17 a.m. along Turquoise Street, Gem Village in Maa.

Vergara’s body was discovered by a trisikad driver inside the cab with plate number LET 972.

He sustained a single gunshot wound at the lower back portion of his neck. The bullet exited from his left cheek.

An empty .45 caliber shell was found inside the taxi.

Talomo police suspect the motive of the killing was robbery because the victim’s wallet and the earnings were nowhere to be found.

At 9:45 a.m., a 45-year-old former security guard was shot dead by two motorcycle-riding gunmen near the diversion road in Maa.

Police identified the victim as Paul Nagtalon, a resident of purok 28, Poblacion Maa.

Police said Nagtalon was driving his motorcycle to Maa when the incident happened.

Two men on board a motorcycle followed the victim and shot him near the diversion road.

When he fell to the ground, the two men turned around and shot him repeatedly.

Nagtalon sustained five gunshot wounds from a .45 caliber pistol.

The victim’s wife Edna told reporters that her husband received death threats a few weeks ago because of his alleged involvement in a shooting incident at the Laud Quarry in Maa.

Talomo police are looking into this angle regarding the killing.

A report received by the 10th Infantry Division based in Camp Panacan in Davao City disclosed that a platoon headed by 2nd Lieutenant Godofredo Despojo engaged 20 rebels under the Front Committee 15 as the soldiers intensified combat operations in the area.

No casualty was reported on both sides but the soldiers found several war materiel in the recovery operation.

Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the 10th Infantry Division lauded the soldiers for their latest accomplishment in Davao Oriental.

He affirmed that the local residents are safer with the presence of soldiers ready to address the threats posed by the communist rebels.

”The safety and protection of the people from such criminal elements is in the primacy of our efforts to serve our people and defend civilian communities from the abuses of these armed lawless groups,” Mapagu said.

He chided anew the rebels for their propensity to use dirty tactics in the armed struggle such as the use of land mines.

“This shows their inherent disregard to laws and international conventions banning the use of landmine in whatever form. They have been using landmines and doing these barbaric acts with impunity and total disregard to human lives,” Mapagu pointed out. (PNA) LAP/Joey Sem G. Dalumpines/lvp