Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
A relieved police official raised the possibility on Wednesday that the two victims in the violent dispersal of protesting farmers in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato last April 1 could have been killed by militants.
This came out while Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile was questioning Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum during the ongoing investigation of the Senate committee on justice on the incident.
READ: North Cotabato police chief relieved over Kidapawan violence
Tagum, who has been relieved as North Cotabato provincial director after the incident, reiterated that he did not give any order to his men to fire on the protesters.
“Sir, I did not give any order to fire,” he said, responding to Enrile’s queries.
“Who fired?” Enrile asked again.
“We’re still conducting an investigation, Sir,” Tagum said.
“That’s the trouble with this government, all investigation and nothing’s happening. It’s time you shape up,” Enrile said.
“Why did you use your firearm to fire [on] the people directly? Even under martial law, we never did that, to fire [on] your people. It’s a doctrine in the military that you can’t fire [on] civilians.”
However, Tagum insisted that he did not order his men to fire on the protesters.
“How come there are two dead by gunfire?” Enrile said.
“Sir, that’s according to the militant group, Sir,” Tagum said.
“You’re saying that the militants were the ones who killed their own people?” the senator asked again.
“That might be the case,” Tagum answered.
The two men killed in the incident were identified as Darwin Sulang, a 22-year-old farmer, and bystander Enrico Fabilgar, 30. RAM
READ: Gunshots killed Kidapawan victims, says forensics expert