CLARK FREEPORT – “They are no different from the Abu Sayyaf.” Thus, said lawyer Richard Tabago in describing the alleged cruelty of the Aniban ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan sa Hacienda Dolores (Aniban) after torturing a security guard they caught during a violent confrontation on January 12 which resulted to the death of one farmer.
Tabago, LL Holdings Inc. (LLHI) site manager, likened the Aniban to the terror group in Mindanao who gained notoriety for their barbarism. After the violent confrontation, the barangay chairman of Hacienda Dolores in Porac town and his son were arrested and detained on charges of serious physical injuries and serious illegal detention.
They have since posted bail. Antonio Tolentino, Hacienda Dolores chief, and his son Ener, were initially detained for allegedly leading some 30 armed men who were members of a group of alleged squatters against
the security outpost of LLHI in Balukbok, Hacienda Dolores, Porac, Pampanga.
Supt. Juritz Rara, Porac police chief, identified Tolentino as the chairman of the said barangay and president of the Aniban who allegedly led the attack with his son. Aniban is composed of 100 settler-families who were being convinced for resettlement by LLHI-Ayala Land for a joint-venture land development in the area.
Meanwhile, a photo that was taken during the attack allegedly showed Tolentino and a number of villagers who were all wearing flashlights attached to their helmets trampling on security guard Larry Sabado.
Several photographs showing the injuries of Sabado who was taken at the hospital showed his hand that was almost amputated due to hacking and a scar on his neck left by a rope before he was allegedly pulled by a motorcycle to the house of Tolentino.
During a press conference here last Friday, Tabago said Tolentino led the attack before dawn on January 12 against an outpost manned by only two security guards. “Tolentino himself led the attack at 4 a.m. Among the attackers were his son Ener, who, our security personnel saw armed with an M-14 rifle.
Their companions were also armed with long fi rearms, such as M-16s, pistols and bolos. They almost killed our two security personnel,” Tabago said. He said the armed men fired at the two security guards wounding
Felizardo Clark Jr. and Sabado.
The two retaliated by firing their weapons wounding two of the attackers, one of them succumbed to gunshot wounds in a hospital where he was rushed for treatment. He was later identified as Arman Padiño by the Aguman dareng Maglalautang Capampangan (AMC).
Tabago said the security personnel were forced to retreat as the armed men pressed their attack but the raiders were able to corner Sabado. “They captured Sabado, tied his hands, tinali din ang kanyang leeg at pinahila sa isang motorsiklo na pag-aari ng kumpanya.
The group of Tolentino stole our two motorcycles and destroyed another one,” Tabago said. “What these armed men did to Sabado is barbarism. They also tortured him while inside the house of the barangay chairman.
He was hacked several times in the different parts of his body and was hit with the butts and muzzles of their guns. Wala silang pinagkaiba sa Abu Sayyaf Group. Talagang balak nilang patayin kung hindi lamang nakatakas,” Tabago said.
He said when his guards left to verify the presence of another person outside the house, Sabado escaped and sought refuge in a friend’s house. He was rescued there by the police’s Special Weapons and Tactics team.
Aniban is allied to the Alyansa ng mga Magsasaka ng Gitnang Luzon, a regional ally of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.
