Headless, armless bodies stump cops

BAGUIO CITY — Could they be victims of summary executions or tribal vendetta?

These theories are raised as the headless and armless bodies of two men belonging to the Lubo tribe in Tanudan, Kalinga were found in Benguet and La Union last week.

Last Friday, the body of Martin Bulakit, a criminology student of the Baguio Colleges Foundation, was found in Rosario, La Union, stuffed in plastic bags. His penis was also cut off.

Two days earlier, the body of another student, Franklin Gac-oy, of the Pines City Colleges here, turned up along the Marcos Highway in Tuba, Benguet.

Speculation that the two students were victims of tribal vendetta surfaced because of the ongoing conflict between the Lubo tribe to which they belonged, and the Basao tribe of Tinglayan, Kalinga.

A tribal leader said it is uncommon during tribal vendetta killings that arms are cut off. "It may be the head but not the arms," he said.

It is also uncommon that tribesmen behind a vendetta slay will not announce the success of their act, the tribal leader said.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the killings of the two students.

But their fellow Lubo tribesmen studying in this city doubt whether tribal vendetta motivated the slays, saying such "barbaric" acts were not the practice of tribes in conflict.

Even Superintendent James Dogao, Kalinga police director, believes that the killings were not related to the conflict between the Lubo and Basao tribes.

Dogao, a Kankanaey from Mountain Province, added that such killings were not a practice in Kalinga.

Bulakit and Gac-oy were the latest victims of an increasing number of what appear to be summary executions in the Cordillera and Ilocos regions.

Last week, the remains of Jamal Dipatuan, said to be a resident of Commonwealth, Quezon City, were found in Longlong, La Trinidad, Benguet.