| The three security guards allegedly involved in the shooting of
Task Force Mapalad members will be charged today with double homicide and multiple
frustrated homicide before the Negros Occidental Provincial Prosecutor's Office
for the killing of two farmer beneficiaries and injuring six others, in Hacienda
Velez- Malaga, Brgy. Robles, La Castellana, on June 4, police said. Negros
Occidental police director Rosendo Franco yesterday said one of the three security
guards identified as Enrique Maliksi who fired his gun, as indicated by the result
of the ballistic test on his firearm, was also found positive for gunpowder nitrates.
Franco said Maliksi is now locked up in jail, but not in La Castellana,
for security reasons. The three other security guards, identified as Warren
Fernandez, Ramy Sebungga and Felix Sadiaca, who were also linked to the shooting
of TFM members, have gone into hiding. La Castellana police chief Regidor Alvarado
said TFM members positively identified Fernandez and Sadiaca as the ones who shot
at them, but not Sebungga. A source at the Department of Agrarian Reform
yesterday said the six injured victims are not farmer beneficiaries of the controversial
property. Alvarado said the six could have been part of the support group
of TFM, who were deployed in La Castellana. Franco said the management
of the Cornerstone Security Agency promised to surrender Fernandez, Sadiaca and
Sebungga on Friday. However, it did not materialize for still unknown reasons
until now, he added. Alvarado said the name of Sebungga may be dropped from the
list of respondents as TFM members identified only Fernandez and Sadiaca as those
who had opened fire at them on June 4. La Castellana Mayor Enrico Elumba
yesterday said he has signed a document allowing the shipment of the body of Garcesa
to Quezon City, where he is scheduled to be buried. The family of Garcesa
had long migrated to Quezon City, a DAR employee said. The Negros Concern
Groups, an umbrella organizations of the Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya,
Pambansang Katipunan ng Makabayang Magbubukid, Negros Caucus Development Inc.
Task Force Detainees of the Philppines, Freedom from Debt Coalition and the Negros
Occidental Federation Farmers Association, condemned the continued killing of
agrarian reform beneficiaries. They are also demanding the dismantling
of private armed groups allegedly maintained by sugar planters, and the prosecution
of suspects involved in the killing of TFM members. Provincial Agrarian
Reform Officer Stephen Leonidas yesterday said they will soon conduct a segregation
survey of the 53 hectares at the disputed Hacienda Velez-Malaga property.
Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Rafael Coscolluela yesterday called on the
rival groups of agrarian reform beneficiaries to unite. DAR Secretary
Nasser Pangandaman had earlier assured legal assistance to the families of the
victims in filing criminal charges against the perpetrators. Heracleo
Templa, operations officer of the Cornerstone Security Agency, said they will
surrender the three security guards as soon as charges are filed against them.*GPB
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