Two Killed,2 Injured As Farmer Runs Amok

Aug.17,2009 Weird World Two Killed, 2 Injured As Farmer Runs Amok By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr. Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The adoption of an esoteric occult practice her son has subjected himself into for the past several months, was believed by his mother to be the root cause of his son’s running amok, killing his wife, his father and wounding 2 others- a barangay tanod (barrio guard) including his mother-allegedly as a completion of his mission to commit a heinously eccentric task of killing close relatives. This was the essence of a horrifying bloody incident culled from an interview at the Salvacion Oppus Yñiguez Memorial Provincial Hospital(SOYMPH)with the mother-victim herself, Bonifacia Caitom Talabo, 63 years old and a resident of brgy. Bon-ot, Hilongos, Leyte.The place is one hour travel time by bus passenger to this city. She sustained a cut on the left side of her face and a huge stab wound on her left arm. She was rushed to the hospital by his son Celso for emergency treatment. The suspect was identified as Antonio C. Talabo, 28 years old, married, also a resident of the same place. He has three children. He’s a farmer who once worked in Metro Manila in a bakery while still in his singlehood.He decided to go back to his place after marrying a lass from the province of Zamboanga. Juliet Briol-Talabo, 26 years old, the suspect’s wife has sustained 22 stab wounds, based on the findings of an embalmer, according to the interviewee. Zacarias Talabo, 64 years old, the suspect’s father, sustained 6 stab wounds in different parts of his body. Pastor Coco of legal age, a barangay tanod of the place, has suffered stab wounds. He escaped death by running away from his attacker. He was believed to be treated in Hilongos, Leyte. Detailed Narration The mother-victim disclosed that at about 1:00 a.m., recently (third week of July 2009), her son Antonio went to their house and asked for something to eat. She said her son told her he smelled something like odorous poison. She responded to tell him that she did not smell something poisonous. However his son was insistent in saying he did smelled some poison, she said. She said his son did not eat the food she served. He went out and climbed upon a coconut tree nearby to get fresh buko(young coconut),cut it and drank its juice and ate its meat. Then the suspect proceeded to his house where he met his younger brother Celso.She said the suspect for no apparent reason want to hurt Celso with his home-made crossbow, but was prevented by his wife Juliet. Instead of listening and calming down, he hacked her several times until she died, she said. Then she said, the suspect went to the house of Pastor Coco, a barangay tanod and stabbed him. But he ran before the attacker could overwhelm upon him. Later he went to his parents’ house where he met his father Zacarias who knew what was going on at that time. Without a weapon to defend himself, he tried to grab his son’s bladed weapon (sundang in local term) but failed. The suspect retaliated and stabbed his father. His mother moved closer to defend his father. The victim-mother grabbed his son’s crossbow (hasgan, a vernacular term use in Hilongos) and struck his nape. Feeling the pain, he faced his mother and stabbed her on her face and arm.”Kining akong samad sa bukton sa pagsagang nako ni sa iyang sundang nga iyang guitigbas nako”,she said in Cebuano.(This wound in my left arm was the result of using it as my shield to cover my body from his stabbing.) Then he faced his father again and stabbed him in different parts of his body until he died, she said. She said she begged her son to finish her off so that she

could join with his father in death.Nevertheless, he instead expressed some words like “Napatay na nako si Commander”(I have already killed the Commander) or something to that effect and left her, she confessed. Hindrance To Quick Reporting The big crime could have been prevented if there would be readily available motorcycle to ride on at the start of the bloody incident, she said. Earlier, she said her husband-victim has instructed his younger son Celso who was the first potential victim of the crime to report the incident to the Hilongos Police Station. However, he was not able to report the horrible incident immediately because for a long time no motorcycle has passed his way along the road where he waited. Bonifacia further revealed the suspect went home after the stabbing. She said the suspect told her that he is going to leave the place together with his 3 children-Anjie,8 years old;Mylene,3 years old; and Gian,8-month-old. She said that while trying to escape, the suspect was met by police officers who were going to the crime scene to investigate. He was arrested, brought to the police station and incarcerated. Furthermore, she confided his son has joined an occult group while still working in Metro Manila. that practice mystical rituals. The interviewee claimed she observed his son has possessed a kind of booklet that he reads from time to time. He also practiced some kind of abstinence and prohibitions on his food and drinks particularly on Fridays. “He also drank a kind of oil which he kept and had occasional 2 red marks appearing between his mouth”, she claimed. She said there were times her son would murmur some incomprehensible utterances. She said she has the belief that the gruesome incident has something to do with the completion of his son’s mission to accomplish the required standards before he could allegedly receive extraordinary power to transform himself into a seemingly invincible rat.”Sulti niya nga dili kuno siya madutlan ug bala kung pusilon siya kay mahimo man siyang ilaga”,she said in Cebuano.(He boasted he will no longer be hit by a bullet because he can transform himself into an invincible rat.) (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)