“This has happened many times, not just to my brother. The others just kept silent without justice.”

CAGAYAN DE ORO — An indigenous Manobo family called for a thorough investigation on the killing of Elioterio Ugking, a 25-year-old Lumad farmer, in Kilometer 9, Sitio Simowao, Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur, on June 6. The family vowed they won’t stop until justice is served.

They refuted the claim that Elioterio was “accidentally” shot by a member of a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU)—an auxiliary force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)—and eventually fell onto a rocky ground within the patrol base of the 9th Special Forces Company (SFC), saying the several injuries they found on the victim’s body showed otherwise.

“The area that he fell into was not so deep. There were no signs that he plunged. It looked like he was placed in that area,” Myra Ugking, the victim’s older sister, told Bulatlat in vernacular.

She also claimed the arrested CAFGU member, identified by the authorities as Jericho Campano, allegedly shared to other detained individuals at Lianga Municipal Police Station what they did to the victim, allegedly tied his hands and mauled him. Myra said they were informed about this because they have a relative detained at the same police precinct.

This made the Ugking family think that there might be others from the army unit who were possibly involved in the crime.

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Police reports showed the victim inquired for help from Campano, who was the duty guard of 9th SFC’s patrol base, around 3:00 a.m. and asked if he could take a bath inside the camp. The CAFGU member allowed it and even handed a pair of shorts to Elioterio after he took a shower. 

Several minutes later, CAFGU members claimed the victim attempted to throw a vinegar bottle at Campano and forcibly seized his firearm. It did not specify, however, the cause of the commotion.

This narrative from CAFGU members of 9th SFC—the Philippine army unit that reported the incident to the police—raised questions from the kin, wondering why the pair of shorts worn by the victim when he was seen lifeless had no marks of gunshots.

“When they said that after he changed his clothes he forcibly seized a firearm, that pair of shorts given to him [by Campano] should have gunshots. The lower garment that had bloodstains was the one previously worn by him,” Myra said, adding that the victim was heading home after gathering falcata trees from a neighboring sitio before the incident took place.

Gunshot wounds were reportedly discovered near Elioterio’s buttock and left leg. The victim’s personal belongings recovered by the Scene of Crime Operations (SOCO), such as his t-shirt, a pair of slippers, gray shorts, and a jacket, had bloodstains. 

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Myra told Bulatlat that the 9th SFC allegedly went to them and asked them not to report the incident to any human rights groups nor post it on social media in exchange for money. In addition, civilians nearby were allegedly told by the military to do the same. 

The Ugking family tried to visit the crime scene, but they retreated after they were tailed. “We are not scared. All we want now is to seek justice. We are used to threats because we had been threatened before,” Myra said when asked if they were worried about their security after the incident.

Bulatlat sought comment from the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, of which the 9th SFC is under, but there was no response as of this writing.

Myra stressed all individuals involved must be held accountable. “This has happened many times, not just to my brother. The others just kept silent without justice. They got used to it. Because of the difficulties in life, the people there don’t have the capacity to fight,” she said. (AMU, RVO)