ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/13 April) – The Task Force Dacaes, which was activated to conduct probe on the recent summary execution of three minors in this city, has already established the identities of the culprits in the killing.
The minors, two were aged 13 and the other 16, were found dead in a rice field March 29 with multiple stab wounds, their hands hogtied and face wrapped with packaging tape.
Senior Supt. Felixberto Candado, Task Force Dacaes head, however, withheld the suspects’ identities citing they have yet to finish the conduct of the investigation. But he assured that the suspects “will answer for this crime.”
“We will arrest them once the investigation is done,” Candado assured.
Two of the victims were natives of Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay while the other was from Barangay Tumaga, this city.
Senior Supt. Edwin de Ocampo, Zamboanga City police chief, said the victims used to hang around at the inter-provincial bus terminal in the village of Guiwan doing cleaning chores for a penny.
The Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ) said in a statement that the killing of the three minors, which bore all the marks of extrajudicial murders, shows that there are people in the community who do not believe in the humane treatment of wayward children.
“From practical experience, they should know that extreme prejudice does not solve the problem since past vigilantism failed to curb it,” PAZ said, citing the street children phenomenon is a big and serious problem in this city as in many other places throughout the country.
“To these street kids, the threat of summary death can only aggravate their sense of hopelessness and despair,” PAZ added.
PAZ described the killing of the three minors as vigilante-type killing.
PAZ said the vigilantes, being offenders themselves, need as much if not more counseling and rehabilitation as do their victims and other street children.
(MindaNews)