In a chilling and inexplicable tragedy, a 15-year-old girl met a gruesome fate, shot dead by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, on the ominous night of July 2.
The horrifying incident unfolded as the young girl, brave and traumatized, made her way home from the Cabugao police station. Her crime? Filing a gut-wrenching “molestation complaint” against two policemen from the neighboring town of San Juan. But the horror doesn’t end there – her older cousin also fell victim to the vile actions of these two cops, according to the Cabugao police chief, Captain Ramil Llarenas.
As she embarked on her journey home, a motorcycle carrying two masked passengers, helmets concealing their identity, pursued the girl, her uncle, and a male cousin. The chase escalated into a nightmare, as the gunmen ruthlessly targeted the girl, firing five shots before disappearing into the abyss of the night.
Rushed to the hospital, the young girl’s fight for life ended tragically with a declaration of death upon arrival. Miraculously, her uncle and cousin emerged physically unharmed from this surreal and horrifying ordeal.
Adding a layer of disbelief to this nightmarish saga, the girl had sought a security escort for her journey home – a plea that fell on deaf ears. The chilling irony lies in the fact that her request for protection, a plea borne out of genuine fear, was denied. As her relatives sensed an eerie surveillance while at the police station, the girl’s request for a security escort becomes a haunting echo of an unheeded cry for help.
The investigation is a maze of disturbing twists and turns. Despite conveying the security concerns to the Women and Children Protection Desk at the Cabugao police station, Captain Llarenas claims that no request was made. The unsettling gap between a cry for security and its denial raises troubling questions about police protocols and duty.
As authorities grapple with the aftermath, the two policemen accused of molesting the girl and her cousin are now labeled “persons of interest” in a murder case that defies comprehension.
Online, the girl’s killing has sparked a wildfire of outrage. Family, friends, and netizens have united in a call for justice, with the Facebook page “I Do Not Consent” garnering 20,000 shares – a collective scream for accountability.
In response, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) Regional Office No. 1 has condemned the heinous act, pledging a separate investigation marked by impartiality and due process.
Yet, the horror persists. Ilocos Sur Governor Ryan Singson, in a quest for unvarnished truth, has called for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a parallel probe. Reports of alleged “padrinos” (godfathers) sheltering the gunmen have added another layer of darkness to this already unfathomable story. Governor Singson, issuing a stern warning to the Ilocos Sur Police Provincial Office, emphasizes the need for an unbiased investigation, pointing to the victim’s identification of San Juan police officers as suspects before her tragic demise.
The report that the implicated police officers have been relieved from duty provides little comfort. Governor Singson demands vigilant monitoring of their whereabouts, as the community grapples with the sinister question – how did a cry for justice lead to a merciless end?
Last modified: January 29, 2024
