Welder found dead, man shot

CEBU, Philippines - A welder was found hanging dead after he committed suicide Saturday morning in Sitio Cambiohan, Barangay Casili, Consolacion while a man was shot dead by an unidentified triggerman while playing a head and tail game or “hantak” in Jubay, Liloan early morning yesterday.

Police and the family of Jerson Sasing, 24, and welder of the Taganito Mining Corporation, remained clueless on the cause of his death as Sasing never told anyone of his problems.

Taganito Mining Corporation is a Surigao-based company and sister company of the Metaphil Company.

PO1 Alvin Velasquez of the Consolacion Police Station said Sasing was found hanging with a sling bag looped around his neck with the other end attached to a mango tree.

Velasquez said Sasing was last seen around 9:00 in the evening last Friday inside his room. His father reportedly checked on him around 10:00 p.m. because he did not eat dinner that night.

It was around 1:40 a.m. when Danilo Tebon, Sasing’s uncle, found him hanging from a branch of a mango tree.

Police suspected that Sasing had problems in Surigao. Sasing was even scheduled to go back to Surigao last Friday.

The cadaver was taken to the Maturan Funeral Homes for an autopsy to determine the real cause of death. Meanwhile, a man was shot while playing hantak in Jubay, Liloan early morning yesterday.

Vic “Amad” Noval, 32, of Sitio Looc, Barangay Poblacion, succumbed to gunshot wounds to his head and chest after he was shot point blank by the gunman whom police believed to be a gun-for-hire.

Police are now on a hunt for two men on board a red motorcycle without a plate number.

Witnesses said Noval was playing hantak when a motorcycle arrived and stopped a few meters away from where Noval was.

The triggerman and back rider disembarked from the motorcycle and walked towards Noval and shot him once from behind hitting Noval in the head. As soon as Noval fell on the ground, the triggerman shot him again in the chest.

The triggerman then left the place calmly right after the incident. Police recovered one slug of .45 caliber and two empty shells of the same caliber.

Witnesses only described the triggerman as 5’5” tall, white complexion, good looking, medium built, wearing white polo shirt, faded maong pants, white baseball cap, and black backpack.

The driver of the getaway motorcycle was also described wearing brown sweatshirt and a faded pair of shorts.

SPO2 Marcelino Servilla, Liloan police investigator, told The FREEMAN they have yet to establish the real motive of the crime based on the claims of the witnesses. Servilla suspected that motorcycle-riding men were not from Liloan because none of those around identified them.

But according to Noval’s friend, Servilla said, a few days ago a man on board a motorcycle reportedly tailed Noval but Noval did not give much attention to it.

Police are now investigating an old grudge as motive.  (FREEMAN)