Kidnap-slay victim’s partner seeks justice

MANILA, Philippines — A grieving mother of three is crying for justice for her partner, who was found dead in Bulacan after being kidnapped by masked men from their Caloocan home last month.

The partner of Jaybee Castor, 23, still could not believe he became a “tokhang” victim, just like their friend Michael dela Cruz, 17, who was killed in an alleged police encounter in November 2016.

The killings in their alley earned the eskinita a new name, “Patayan street,” painted on the walls by vagrants.

Last June 25, they were eating dinner when four masked men barged into their house and grabbed Castor, his partner said.

It was raining hard that night, she said, and she and her two young sons ran after Castor as he was taken to a white vehicle.

Castor’s older brother said he ran after the masked men and told them: “Hindi makatao ginagawa ninyo (What you are doing is inhumane)!” They threatened to shoot him if he went after them.

Castor’s partner, who asked not to be identified, showed a closed-circuit television footage they obtained from the barangay hall showing him being beaten and pushed into the vehicle.

“I pity my son,” she said. “Every time he sees a white car on our way to school, he would run after it: ‘Ma, habulin natin, nandoon nakasakay si Papa.’”

The family looked for Castor around Camanava and Quezon City, and even went to Camp Crame, where they were told he was a victim of “dukot,” a colloquial term for kidnapping.

On July 5, a man matching Castor’s description was found dead in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, according to a Facebook post from the San Jose del Monte police. She identified Castor with his tattoos – the names of his parents in front and of his sons on the back. 

According to the police report, Castor was found dead with a cardboard poster bearing the words: “Huwag tularan. Adik at magnanakaw (Don’t emulate. Addict and thief).”

When they went to Bulacan to pick up the body, only then did they find out Castor had been dumped there June 26, just a day after he was taken. He had been dead for over a week.

Denying her partner was involved in illegal drugs, she said Castor was last arrested for allegedly destroying a motorcycle. 

Castor is among the latest casualties of vigilante-style killings in Camanava. Four bodies were found dumped in Malabon and Caloocan on July 6. The heads of two victims were wrapped with cloth.

An overseas worker also had to rush home from Saudi Arabia for the funeral of her son, Bryan Conje, 22, in Caloocan. She denied allegations that her son, who was missing for three days, fought back during a police anti-robbery operation on July 5.