Slain boy’s kin vow to pin down police official

The family of the 17-year-old boy who was shot dead by a police official in Bogo City, northern Cebu vowed to exhaust all legal means to pin down the policeman.

“Dili ko kadawat sa kamatayon sa akong anak. Hustisya ang akong gipangayo. (I could not accept the death of my son. All I want is justice),” said Paul Montesclaros, the father of the slain Paul Vincent.

Montesclaros along with the victim’s grandmother went to the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) to request for reinvestigation and an autopsy on the victim’s body.

He said he will not stop until justice is served.

“Di gyud mi modawat og areglo kay kinabuhi ang iyang gikuha. (We will not agree to any settlement because a life was taken),” Montesclaros said.

Aside from the NBI, the family also planned to seek the assistance of the Commission on Human Rights and the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for a thorough investigation.

The NBI refused to conduct an autopsy on the victim’s remains without the consent of the prosecutors’ office since the police already filed charges against Chief Insp. Ceferino Tabay Jr. who earlier admitted killing Paul Vincent in self-defense.

NBI supervising agent Rennan Augustus Oliva said it’s up to the prosecutor handling the case to order them to conduct an autopsy to strengthen the case against Tabay.

“A case was already filed before the prosecutors’ office. We couldn’t just come in and conduct an autopsy,” Oliva explained.

He said they would wait for NBI regional director Antonio Pagatpat to make the necessary move.

The victim is set to be buried on Monday. However, the family said they will allow the body to be exhumed should the NBI decide to conduct an autopsy.

Vincent Paul was shot dead by Tabay in Bogo City last April 5. The victim was the boyfriend of Tabay’s 16-year-old daughter.

Tabay, the deputy chief of the Bogo Police Station, said he was forced to shoot the boy when the latter appeared to draw a gun from his waist.

Vincent Paul’s family said the incident should be investigated.

“Dili normal ang tawo nga naghimo niadto. Daghang bala ang niigo sa akong anak. (The person who shot my son isn’t normal. Several shots were fired to my son),” the victim’s father said.

Based on the police investigation, the victim sustained two gunshot wounds. One in the chest and another in the head.

Vincent Paul is the eldest of eight children. His father works as a driver while his mother is a housewife.

The victim’s grandmother Marcelina said she couldn’t endure looking at his grandson’s body.

“Grabe ang pagpatay sa akong apo. Morag nagpatay og criminal. Pinangga kaayo na namo siya. (My grandson was brutally killed. He was treated like a criminal. We loved him very much),” she said.