In the Northeastern town of Tabogon: Septuagenarians brutally murdered

The gruesome murder over the weekend of a septuagenarian couple shocked the usually quiet town of Tabogon, which lies 80 kilometers northeast of Cebu City.

A farmer and his wife were brutally killed by unknown persons in sitio Lub-ang, barangay Managase, Tabogon town Saturday night, but the report reached the Cebu Provincial Police Office only yesterday morning.

A neighbor found the naked body of Nemesia Gulben, 74, which prompted a search and several hours later the body of her husband Rufo, 79 was also found. They were killed several meters from the house.

Ponciano Povadora, the neighbor who first discovered the killings, told responding policemen, SPO3 Douglas Amores, SPO2 Samuel Amores, and PO1 Alman Acabal that he found the body of Nemesia around 10 am last Sunday.

The body of Rufo was found only late afternoon that day after police and neighbors did a search of the surroundings.

Police recovered from the crime scene a blood stained stone and a bolo, which they believed were among the implements used to kill the couple.

The victims sustained wounds on the different parts of their bodies and were hogtied using their own clothes.

Tabogon Municipal Health Officer Dr. Flordeliza Arrogante, who conducted the medical examination, said the cause of death was strangulation and not the other wounds sustained.

Inspector Wilfredo Giducos, chief of the Tabogon Police told THE FREEMAN last night that robbery might not be motive of the killing. He said that they came up with this theory since a ring on one of the fingers of Rufo was not taken.

Giducos added that there could be something more to this twin murders since they found that a cabinet inside the couple's house was ransacked and things were scattered. He also believes that whoever perpetrated the crime must have been angry with the victims taking into consideration how the crime was perpetrated.

"Murag naay silay gipangita," (It looked like they were looking for something) he said. "Pero wala man kunoy nawala ingon ang mga anak." (But nothing seems to have been taken said the children.)

Giducos added that they are bent on solving this case, which is the first sensational crime in their town as far as he can recall.

No witness has yet come forward considering that house of the victims was not near any other house in their community.

PO2 Josereden Hortelano told THE FREEMAN that the couple was believed to have money since they owned a huge farmland and several animals. The policeman added that they have not heard of any enemies of the couple since they were known to be kind to their neighbors and were the ones that the people from the community would turn to for financial help.

The barangay where the crime took place is 12 kilometers from the town proper and the residence of the couple was another kilometer away from the center of their village. Motorcycles are the only means of transportation for people in the area, which could only be reached by crossing a brook.

The police also theorized that there was more than one perpetrator of the crime.

The couple lived alone in their farm since all their children live in the city.