By Benjamin Pulta/PNA
MANILA — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday assured his agency will embark on a thorough case buildup in its investigation on the killing of nine sugar farmers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental last October 20.
“All we need to do is complete the investigation. We do not have any pre-conceived notions as to who has done it,” Guevarra said.
The justice chief was reacting to a statement by the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) claiming the DOJ was using the incident to conduct a witch hunt against communists.
Guevarra earlier tasked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to take a closer look into the circumstances surrounding the massacre of nine farmers in a farm at Hacienda Nene, Purok Firetree, Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City.
The farm, owned by a certain Carmen Tolentino, was occupied by alleged members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) on the morning of Oct. 20, a day after Tolentino harvested the sugar canes.
Witnesses claimed that the victims were resting inside their improvised tents when they were allegedly fired upon by around 40 unidentified armed men.
Some of the farmers escaped but nine died in the attack, with three of the victims allegedly burned by their assailants.
The Justice Department has also asked the NBI to investigate whether the murder of 56-year-old civil rights lawyer Benjamin Ramos was connected to the Sagay massacre.
Ramos, a founding member of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), was shot dead in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental Tuesday night in an attack by motorcycle-riding men along Rojas St., Barangay 5, about 3 km. away from a police station.
The victim, a resident of Barangay Binicuil in the same city, was brought to the Holy Mother of Mercy Kabankalan City Hospital after suffering three gunshot wounds at the right back side and upper left portion of his chest but was declared dead on arrival.
The NUPL confirmed that Ramos was part of a team that they sent to assist the victims of the Oct. 20 Sagay incident.
