You might want to read the previous updates here. We are making another post for these updates because we are sure that there will be more developments in the future and we don’t want the original post to get really long.
UPDATE 6: Now the police is denying that it named a suspect to Vice Governor Diasen’s murder. ABS-CBN reports here. As we said earlier, the police will be serving the people better if they stop yacking publicly about their speculations and to just do their work in silence.
Just because the media asks them questions doesn’t mean that they can blab about anything that’s on their mind. In a very sensitive case such as this, a “No comment” answer will be acceptable to media people.
It is of course understandable that the public wants to know what is happening. But we want to know the facts not the speculations of police officers.
UPDATE 7: Gunman expected to surrender anytime according to police authorities. He reportedly sent some surrender feelers. Meanwhile, the opposition Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) is claiming that Vice Governor Diasen was actually running under its banner and not under the administration party. Read more at ABS-CBN.
UPDATE 8: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is going to conduct a parallel investigation following the request of Vice Governor Diasen’s widow. Read more here. We hope this doesn’t turn into a turf war between the NBI and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
UPDATE 9: Apparently, we are not the only ones concerned that the police has been too hasty in characterizing the Vice Governor’s murder as a result of a tribal conflict. Don’t get us wrong, maybe it is indeed the result of a tribal conflict, but what strikes us as odd is that the police have no facts to show that it is a tribal conflict and yet they are blabbing about their tribal conflict theory (which to us is actually not a theory but a speculation; kasi pag theory, you have to have facts to base your theory on).
Anyways, according to an Inquirer story, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) cautioned the police to “review the way they process their information because reports attributed to them had made any (Magnao-Guilayon) tribe member in the province a potential suspect in Diasen’s slay.”
Meanwhile, Tabuk Mayor Camilo Lammawin Jr. also debunked the tribal war angle. Quote: “My reading here is some influential politicians are trying to [introduce] a wedge between the Lammawins and the Diasens…. They float the tribal [war] issue to muddle the [investigation].”
“We want to get [the suspect] to shed light on this killing. The Guilayon tribe will help in [arresting] the killer. We believe that the tribe members neither planned nor made the killing of Diasen. It seems that it only coincidentally happened in Magnao.” He said the police theory ignored the fact that Diasen’s wife, Floydelia, belongs to the Lammawin family. Read the full Inquirer report.
You can find more updates here: Updates on the Diasen Case 2.
RELATED POST: Black Saturday in Kalinga.
The death of Atty. Rommel is not just a loss to the Gulalayan Tribe but to the Bago Tribe as well. His father, was a well respected Bago elder.
If this is indeed a result of tribal conflict, hopefully the tribes involved will come to a bodong/peace pact. Whatever happened to the culture? There was another victim named Edwin Lingbawan, prior to Atty Milnar and Rommel’s death. Edwin was a personal driver, could it be the reason why the media was not as noisy then? I personally would like his case solved first before the 2 lawyers.
There’d been a lot of unsolved cases in Tabuk but we cannot entirely blame the police or military. Do you know if the death of the then Chief of Police Mayangao was ever solved? Maybe 30 years ago… Rumors was that it resulted from a jeepload of MJ. Edwin’s death was also rumored to have resulted from MJ business…
Those days when you can still stroll around at night in Tabuk, back then when there was still a nice park, with swings, slides and big trees around the municipal hall, when kids can still play till dark…and neighbors are good to each other. Ilocano, Igorots, Tagalog and Kalinga – they all got along well then. That time when most elected officers just serve with honorariums – no salaries. When most politicians are not greedy and power-fools.
I live in a foreign land now. When I got from a call from my sibling at 4 AM telling me that Atty Rommel was killed, my partner asked me why do I still want to go home for a vacation? The question was justified because I got the same call when Edwin was shot and was informed of Atty Milnar’s death. All these people live in Poblacion, and everybody knows everybody there, related in some ways by blood, marriage, faith or tribe.
PEACE let us wish for peace in Tabuk!
Condolence to the family, I just heard the news during our Hike at Mt. Binaratan..i’ll spent my holy week on a jungle adventure..kaya long time no internet..
I have been reading a lot of comments about Kalinga/Kalinga politics and the unfortunate events leading to the deaths of Milnar and Rommel. Anonymous 4-11-07 (12:13 AM)as far as I can tell on the content of his/her comments knows the families very well. I also was informed on both incedents on a similar way as anonymous about this unfortunate events. As a friend and a member of this two families I would like to thank all of your kind words. I would like to let everybody know that the two families were not involved on a tribal war against each other as some had suggested. A couple of days before that saturday, the Mayor and the Vice-Governor and some relatives went to Magnao together to show our tribal members that we are supporting each other….About 2-3 years ago on Milnars funeral I stayed at Rommels house(nagudong). Rommel told me about what had happened. As far as I know the Lammawins never blamed Rommel of the death of Milnar, some people commented that Rommel was the mastermind of Milnar’s death, I don’t know where those hakahaka came from. We have been very vocal about not to blame Rommel of other peoples mistakes. And now this. Does people think they are doing us a favor by killing one of us? Please we do not need those kinds of favors. Now we lost both big brothers.
To anonymous, yes you can still go home for vacation. Be positive, someday Kalinga will be as peaceful as it was(during our days we use to tambay on the poraw nga nuang till 3 AM and nothing happens except napuyat). To the younger generation, “be positive and go do something good” from the book of nuj. Why can’t people just go climb a Mt. if they get board like nats and co. instead of wasting people that is doing something for the community.
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for visiting and for your insightful comments. I’m with you in hoping that this, and the other murders, would be solved. As you mentioned, if it is indeed a tribal conflict then we hope that bodong will work. If it is not a tribal conflict then we hope the authorities will stop describing it as such and that our justice system will work to resolve the case.
I hope that Tabuk will become as peaceful as it once was especially because it has a tremendous potential for growth and development. [In fairness, I think it has been peaceful for most of the 90s and the 2ks but I may be wrong.]
Thanks again.
Hi Nats,
That was a good holy week you had. I enjoyed reading your story and watching your video. Ang galing ng pictures.
Hi Mideastofcw,
Thanks for visiting and for sharing with us your thoughts and insights. I agree with you that no one does anyone a favor by killing another person. At the end of the day we are all losers for the senseless loss of life of our fellow human beings.
I’m with you in hoping that eventually Tabuk will be peaceful and that the younger generation will enjoy the nights out without worrying too much about their safety. [Kasla met ngisit samet dyay pintor diyay nuang tatta? I may be wrong though.]
If it wasn’t election time, I’m inclined to believe it as “tribal vendetta”. Why kill him now? Is he a threat to someone this election? Da vendetta stuff to me, is just a smoke screen, there’s more people involved. But this insolent behavior must stop, if not, it’s a reaffirmation of non-CAR people’s belief of our savagery! Sure, it happens all over the country, but, it’s a different perspective when these killings occur in the Mountains of Cordillera. We are not barbaric!!
Let’s show that to the world and let justice takes it’s course…
goodhealth to all….
TruBlue