ONE family member, Galdo said, suspects that Cresanto may have suffered from depression after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend from another place in Misamis Oriental.
“Being heartbroken plus cult-like worship is a deadly combination. It is also a possible angle that triggered Cresanto’s weird behavior,” Galdo said.
Away from civilization in the mountains and forgetting his plan to enroll this year for the Criminal Justice Education course that he aspires to have been replaced by his desire to search for spiritual power.
Since then, Cresanto would hook up with his close relatives in the barrio of Palipi which is far secluded from Balingasag’s proper town where he started and developed his own congregation.
“They used to attend PBCM fellowships in San Antonio, Jasaan before Cresanto fortified his own group declaring that Tomas Eugenio’s spirit is with him,” said De Oro who thanked Tomas’ son and successor Charlito Eugenio for helping them arrange the surrender of the remaining four suspects who earlier eluded arrest.
De Oro noted that for days, the eleven suspects were not regrettable nor showed any remorse for what they did, telling the curious policemen that their aging matriarch was just destined to be in flames because of her great sins.
On September 1, however, was a different story as Galdo observed that the suspects were slowly back getting into their senses.
“They now eat and Cresanto had ceased behaving wildly and loudly. We can now talk to them as they seemed repentant as evident by their teary-eyed faces. Maybe, as a result of a good sleep they had last night,” Galdo said, revealing Cresanto was no longer handcuffed as they allowed him to join the other suspects in one jail.
“Cresanto is still very young we could not judge him. As the case was already filed in courts, his fate and so the others now depend on the hands of the primary complainant Erlinda. If she will push it through or recant the charges out of mercy we don't know. I also pray for them,” Galdo said.
For now, the suspects will stay for the meantime at the Balingasag Police Station jail after two subsequent court proceedings in Cagayan de Oro.
Galdo said they have some glitches with the court procedures to iron out before the suspects’ transfer to the Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail in Cagayan de Oro.
“We still have a long date with them while the world has yet to move on and get over the unusual crime that we could not think to ever happen beyond our wild imagination,” Galdo said.
