A 26-year-old farmer was sentenced to 160 years imprisonment yesterday for hacking to death the four minor daughters of his neighbor and burning their house down in Cauayan town, Negros Occidental, with them inside.

Kabankalan Regional Trial Court Judge Henry Arles found Saturnio Colasing Labanes guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the murder of the four minors and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua for each count.

Labanes was also ordered to pay his victims' heirs P125,000 for each child as civil indemnity and damages.

In the evening of Nov. 13, 2002, Labanes brutally hacked to death the children of his neighbor Serbilito Roldan, identified as Rachel, 6, Jennifer, 9, Aireen, 12, and Leizel, 16, and burned their house in Sitio Pulopeña, Barangay Baclao, Cauayan. He later fled to Guimaras where he was arrested, the court was told.

Labanes admitted that he killed the children but claimed he intended to kill their father who was maltreating him in connection with a land conflict, but mistakenly hacked the four minors, the judge said.

"The claim of the accused that he intended to kill their father and not his minor children and did not know what he was doing at the time since it was already dark, does not exonerate him. Accused had the intent to kill as he was moved by a grudge of revenge against the father of the victims," the judge said.

The judge said Labanes claim that the killing was a matter of mistaken identity, is not a valid defense.

The nature of the wounds of the victims indicate that they were separately repeatedly hacked one at a time, the judge said.

A medico legal report said Aireen suffered a hack wound in the right side of her head from the right frontal portion of the skull extending up to the parietal region with the brain protruding; Liezel sustained a hack wound in the left mid upper arm and a fracture of the left upper arm bones;

Jennifer suffered multiple fractures of the left frontal portion of the skull up to the parietal portion and a hack wound at the left frontal region of the head; and Rachel suffered a stab wound at the left clavicular lines, a hack wound on the head and a fracture on the frontal portion of the head with brain tissue protruding.*CPG

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