THE Sangguniang Kabataan Federation of Butuan City has strongly condemned the treacherous killing of Barangay Lumbocan SK chairman Nelbert Gacosta on June 21.
This, as the Butuan City Police Office (BCPO), has also deplored the latest of a series of unsolved killings in the city that transpired barely five days after the shooting death of popular basketball player, Jerry John Apas.
“We mourn and deeply regret the passing of our fellow youth leader, Nelbert Gacosta, SK Chairperson of Barangay Lumbocan, this City.”
The untimely death of Gacosta reflects the horrible reality of our society where injustice and evil reign. As we condemn all forms of violence and this gruesome incident, we demand immediate justice for Nelbert.
Let us take a moment to remember Nelbert and pray for the eternal repose of his soul,” the official statement of the SK Federation of Butuan reads.
The 27-year-old Gacosta was shot and killed on Tuesday night in Barangay Masao by a still unidentified perpetrator.
In an interview over RMN-DXBC Butuan, the city’s SK Federation head Panpan Nietes said the killing only showed the horrible truth that evil and injustices reign in what has been known as the timber city of the south.
Nietes called on the authorities to speed up the wheels of justice and culprits must be put to jail.
To this, Police Col. Excelso Lazada of BCPO has promptly made a call for the public to help them in finding a lead to identify the suspects.
Lazada said the public’s cooperation is vital in the ongoing police investigation.
The spate of shooting incidents in Butuan came after the police’s renewed drive to intensify the war on the drugs with its so-called “Double Barrel: Endgame Strategy.”
On June 16, the town’s basketball hero JJ Apas fell dead when at least two unknown gunmen waylaid him after getting out of the barangay hall of Ongyui where the victim had just accompanied his wife.
The surge of violence also drew the ire of Butuan City Councilor, lawyer Ehrnest John Sanchez, and the chairman of the committee on police and public safety.
“I am a true believer of the rule of law and the right to due process possessed by any individual. Walay balaod nga nag-ingun nga ang tao if makasala patyon, kundi ang balaod nagsugo nga ang nakasala dakpon ug kasohan. I am respectfully urging our govt authorities in charge of the investigation to act swiftly in bringing those responsible to justice. As an old adage says, justice delayed is justice denied,” wrote Sanchez on his Facebook wall.
