THE Provincial Capitol Office of Misamis Oriental will not be sitting down in addressing the rise of heinous crimes in the province perpetrated mostly by young criminals.
“Juvenile crimes are on the rise. This will be discussed right away for prompt action as we expect to hear soon the peace and order plan of the PNP’s Provincial Command under its new director Police Col. Gonzalo Villamor Jr,” said Provincial Board member Gerardo ‘Boboy’ Sabal III.
“We demand strong-willed efforts and top-notch services from the police as crimes in the province have worsened,” Sabal added.
Less than a week after a 14-year-old female student was raped and killed by a habal-habal driver in a remote barangay of Gingoog City, an 84-year-old grandma was burned alive by the members of her own family last Sunday in sitio Palipi, Barangay Baliwagan, Balingasag of the said province.
The elderly victim, Teofila Camongay Cabusas was still brought to Balingasag town hospital where she died due to severe burns all over her body.
“A crime like this is hard to believe because eleven members of the family including her own children and grandchildren were the ones who did it,” said police staff sergeant Robert John Galdo during the investigation.
The 20-year-old Crisanto Ercilla, the victim’s grandson and a self-proclaimed spiritual guru who supposedly received the returning spirit of a cult leader that had long been dead, was the one who led the ritual of burning Cabusas to death because of her “great sins.”
“Even the Bible says that any human can be possessed by either good or evil spirits. It can happen anytime anywhere. That’s why prayers and strong faith in God are very important to surmount the powers of the evil,” said Fr. Vic Arellano, clergy of the Iglesias Filipina Independiente Diocese of Cagayan de Oro.
Police Maj. Teodoro de Oro, head of the Balingasag Police Station, said seven suspects from the Cabusas and Ercilla families have already been arrested, while four others including two females are still at large.
All of them are living together as close-knitted families of relatives in the same sitio village of Balingasag, which is just a neighboring town of Jasaan where bloodshed happened a long time ago because of cult-related activities.
Even from inside the municipal jail, policemen were forced to handcuff Crisanto Ercilla after he showed violent behavior against his fellow detainees.
“He did not eat regularly for days but we respect him as a leader because he’s brave and powerful. We’re always afraid of him as he can do harm to anyone that we cannot just ignore his order,” said one of Ercilla’s companions.
De Oro said charges of parricide will be formally filed today against Ercilla and company, the same day that the victim is also scheduled to be laid to rest in a Balingasag cemetery.
