By Luz Rimban and Artha Kira Paredes
VERA Files
BANGUED, Abra.—A spate of killings here has left at least five people dead in a span of three weeks and has alarmed church and civil society leaders who fear this mountain town is turning into a “killing field.”
The killings have prompted the Catholic Church and civil society groups to reactivate the Abra Multisectoral Group (AMSG), an organization formed to guard against election violence in the May 2010 elections. The group will address the rising incidence of violent crimes this time.
“What is alarming is that in most of these killings, allegedly the suspects are minors and allegedly they do these crimes because of drugs,” said Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian of the Diocese of Bangued.
Jaucian said it is ironic that these killings are happening in a month that the Church has declared “pro-life” month.
The most prominent victim is Cirilo Gallardo, a popular disc jockey at the local FM radio station DZPA and mathematics teacher at the Divine Word College of Bangued (DWCB). Gallardo was buried on Tuesday.
Click here (VERA Files) for the rest of the story and video.
Ellen grabe talaga duon sa Abra. I was there in March of 2010 to attend a meeting. On our way out of Abra there were kids by the way side so I went down to take pictures with them. Natuwa kasi ako. But one of my coleagues saw that behind the small hill were ammunitions. She hurriedly told us to go as quickly as we could!
At the meeting, almost all the men in the big trucks had armalites with them. Para talaga kaming nasa war zone. But we survived. Grabe and political killings duon!
There was a general of the army who was linked to one of the candidates (romantically daw) there and he used the whole army to intimidate voters as well as the other candidtes. No one can put posters any place coz this general will just have all of these taken out at dawn. I wonder if his girl friend won.
High School palang ako laging na sa current events namin ang patayan sa Abra, particularly during election time..I wonder how Horatio Paredes is related to the late Sen. Parades…alam kong taga Abra sila…walang pagbabago..mas grabe pa…
Grabe ang drugs sa Pinas, dapat paigtingin ang kampanya laban dito kasi mga walang-malay ang biktima, ang mga kabataan mismo. Ang epekto ay domino epek, walang sinasanto!
Ibigay sa tropang Magdalo ang opisina ng anti-drugs kapag hindi tumino ang mga lokong yan. Mapatunayan tuloy ang kayang gampanan ng aking mga idol. Sige na PNoy!
psb #2: I know who the general was, PNP not Army. And the congresswoman lost.
This general is a classic example of someone who used to have morals,virtue, and conviction; but when tons of money are being placed on your lap, couple that with the saying “shit! most are doing it, why can’t I?”. And when good people are sandwiched between two evils, most are inclined to take the road they’ve never tried before.
My lawyer nephew is with Comelec Baguio, and yes, Abra is quite volatile…he went there to certify their elections and returned to Baguio the same day.
Most violent province nga yang Abra, with Bangued as the most violent munisipyo. Nagpapatayan ang mga Valero at Bersamin, bakod lang ang pagitan. Sumali na rin ang mga Luna. Yung kapatid nga ni Justice Lucas Bersamin (bumoto pabor kay Mersadista Gutierrez) binaril sa kasal ng anak sa QC, araw ng Pasko. Patay.
Hindi ako naniniwalang drugs yan. Sino’ng magpapakahirap magdala ng drugs doon sa bundok? Sa Baguio na lang, mas madali pa magbenta. Marijuana ang marami doon, hindi drugs gaya ng coke at shabu.
Simula namatay ang Lelang (Lola) di na ako bumalik doon. Kamaganak namin yang mga siraulo doon.
Toungue, may dugong tarikan ka pala…heh,heh,heh.
Toungue, akala ko uragun ka?
ano ang sabi “weather, weather, weather” lang?….panaon na si Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ay mawala na munodo..the wheel of fortune keeps turning around.so they say..
corr: “panahon” na ni Gloria na lumisan sa mundo…
Wen, Manang psb. Yung lola ko, magkakatabi sila ng mga pinsan ko, habang nagrorolyo ng tabako (pabaliktad pa isubo, sa bibig ang baga) ang Lelang, marijuana naman yung nirorolyo ng mga kabataan. Lahat yata ng tao doon, may baril. At motorsiklo. Ultimo batang musmos naka-motor pag pasok sa iskul. Smuggled daw galing La Union o Ilocos Sur. Bawat pamilya, may sundalo, pag lalaki; nurse o DH pag babae.
Bilib lang ako sa mga taga-roon, kahit walang lamang kasangkapan yung kubo, merong college diploma na nakabitin sa pader!
baguneta, uragon din ito. Mother side. Kaya ako, lastog na uragon, lol.
Kaya ka pala palaban!
Every province has a welcome sign as you proceed in their territories. What does Abra’s welcome greeting say: Welcome to Abra’s Enchanting Fields of No Return…wink!
OT: TT, a close friend is inviting you to become a stockholder to a RaceTrack being built somewhere in Batangas, opening date is next year. Mikey d horsey is likely invited, and will dip his loots into this business venture. The man building this track tried to get a license to operate a Greyhound Racetrack in Cebu but was denied recently.
Daming sugarol sa atin, so become a stockholder na.
Matagal na yang Batangas race track na yan, di naman matuloy, masyadong malayo kasi sa mananaya, pabor lang sa mga horseowners at trainers na karamihan nasa Batangas ang mga stables. Mahirap kasi ibyahe yung kabayong galing sa Batangas, sa tagal ng trapik sa SLEX, pagod na yung kabayo kakayugyog.
Pero ngayong nasa malapit na yung Sta. Ana at San Lazaro, (parehong nasa Cavite na) hindi na gaano hirap yung mga hayop pati mananaya, madami na kasing Off Track Betting pati home betting kasama yung signal scrambler para sa cable TV. Prepaid na ang betting card ngayon.
Tumigil ako magkarera nung puro mukha nung mga Arroyo ang laman ng karerahan. Biruin mo, mga baboy at biik, may alagang kabayo?
Ganun ba? Hintayin na lang pala if the first six month of operation is successful, attendance-wise taken into consideration.
Oo, diyan nga naimpeach si Erap. Yung BW Gaming, a subsidiary of Belle Resources (owners of Tagaytay Highlands) has setup this company that has an existing franchise to build this racetrack in Batangas plus off track betting stations all over Pinas. Kasosyo rin si Albee Benitez diyan, anak nung dating MP ng Pasay na si Jolly Benitez na nagpakita lang ng 2 beses sa Pasay, matapos manalo sa eleksyon. Albee operates the successful online Bingo Bonanza sa mga malls, pati na yung online casino. Na-shelve yan nung sumibat si Dante Tan papuntang Canada. Siyempre sabit na rin diyan siguro si Atong Ang.
Itago ko na lang muna ang pera ko sa kawayan, lol.
Hahahahahaah!!! Baboy damo?