• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Four persons died in shooting, hacking and drowning incidents in Negros Occidental, with a retired Army soldier tagged by the police as the suspect in the shooting death.
A certain Ronnie Villasis succumbed to multiple gunshot injuries, allegedly inflicted by Ivan Pantu-ob, a retired member of the Philippine Army, on April 17 in Brgy. Magticol, Toboso, Negros Occidental.
Initial investigations of the Toboso police showed that Villasis and the suspect figured in heated arguments prior to the incident.
Without any apparent reason, the victim was shot by Pantu-ob, according to the Toboso police.
Villasis was declared dead on arrival at the Sagay City Hospital, while the suspect is nowhere to be found, as of press time.
A family feud turned deadly after one of its members died on April 16, as a result of hacking incident in Hacienda Nahalin, Brgy. Nagasi, La Carlota City.
Dead on arrival at the Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial Hospital in La Carlota City was Jobert Dioso, alias Kabong. Injured was his elder 43-year-old brother, July.
Initial police investigations showed that heated arguments ensued between Jobert and his brother, July, due to old grudges.
The victim, who was armed with cane cutter and a bolo, hacked at his brother, July, at the head.
Jennifer Dioso, the younger sibling, came to the rescue of July, and hit Jobert with a metal pipe on the head.
Both Jobert and July were brought to a hospital. Jobert, 35, however died, police investigations further showed.
July was arrested by the police, while Jennifer managed to escape.
On the other hand, two persons identified by the police as Jomar Trencio and Ronel Amaro drowned on April 15 at a deep well in Sitio Syding, Brgy. Minapasok, Calatrava, police said.
Trencio, as reported by the Calatrava police, went into a 20-foot deep well, for the purpose of cleaning it.
But he suddenly slipped while he was halfway into the well.
Amaro came to the rescue of Trencio, who also suffered a similar fate, according to the police.
Both were retrieved from the deep well by rescuers.
Their families decided not to bring them to the hospital, as they suspected both were already dead.*