Two high school students in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur were killed while seven others were wounded after being ambushed by unidentified suspects in Barangay Kimlawis on Sunday night.
Investigators are looking at pangayaw, or clan vendetta as the motive behind the killing
Victims identified by Kiblawan Municipal Police Station as Jimboy Linkanay, 16, who was immediately killed right after the ambush while Neilbert Malason who was confined at Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, died after suffering complications due to serious injuries he sustained.
The wounded suspects were identified as James Paul Samo, 18; Mildred Linkanay, 15; Jiv Cris Malalay,17; Jimboy Sumali,25; Marlon Malanson; Mark Gil Tol, truck driver and Aries Caluyan, 15.
Kiblawan MPS acting commander Senior Insp. Erich Von C. Requilman bared that around 8:00 p.m. of October 29, his station received a call on the incident happened in area, as the truck that conveyed the students from Kiblawan Proper was allegedly ambushed.
“Ang mga estudyante sa Kimlawis National High School, nag apil sila sa Maral de Dalan or Street Dancing sa B’laan para sa Damsu Festival diri nga three days (These students of Kimlawis National High School joined the Maral de Dalan or Street Dancing in B’laan for the three-day Damsu Festival of the town),” he said.
Requilman said that after 150 meters away from Kimlawis Propers there group of men fired on the vehicle that conveyed the students. “According sa mga katigulangan diri nga B’laan kay mostly mga B’laan adunay Pangayaw nga dugay na na kaso nila (According to the B’laan elders here, there is a Clan War already existed in this town. Most of the victims belong to the B’laan tribe),” he said.
Requilaman said that based on his interview on the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) the clan wars and family feud within the B’laan tribe already existed in different barangays in the town.
He said although the most of the victims were students, the police could not point out that they are targeting someone but maybe one of the students is a member of the family who has feud with other clan.
“Maybe, one of the families of the victims involved in Pangayaw and the suspects took vengeance on these students,” he said. In an interview at Davao del Sur Provincial Hospital, Jimboy Sumali told reporter that they were surprised with the gun burst when they were about to reach the area.
Sumali said that during the ambushed they did not notice the suspected because the area was so dark. He said after the suspects successfully turned-down the truck, they immediately fled from the area.
For his part, Balansina Linkanay, father of Jimboy, confirmed that the ambush was really a Pangayaw.
“It hurts me that my son is not at fault on this” he said. He said that the one who ambushed him before are maybe the group who ambushed the students that killed his son.
