Pointblank
By Erly C. Garcia
When the unexpected happens
I am sure the families of the victims in Sunday's carnage in Kalibo, Aklan could not still believe why it happened. Aklan's officials could have declared a successful and peaceful holding of the Ati-atihan Festival if not for the unfortunate incident during the last day of the celebration that claimed the lives of six policemen and a ten-year old girl.
The incident reminded me of the tragedy that happened in San Joaquin town October last year. On the last day of the weeklong Boy Scouts provincial jamboree, seven children drowned while swimming in the sea. The organizers could have also declared the holding of the event successful if not for the incident.
I have learned of the Kalibo shooting late in the morning of Sunday when I turned on my pocket radio. While scanning the stations I was surprised to hear announcers talking, something that is unusual, since normally on a late Sunday morning radio is full of musical programs or magazine talk shows. I glued to one station and listened to the report. I could not believe what I heard. A shooting rampage happened in Kalibo, Aklan. Seven people died, mostly policemen. Two of the policemen were identified as the provincial director of Aklan, Supt. Odelardo Magayanes and the chief of the Kalibo police Chief Insp. Manuel Ilejay, Jr.
I know Kalibo was celebrating the final day of its Ati-atihan Festival that time which all the more made me worry. I thought there was bombing or a raid of the police station.
Several days earlier an officemate who is from Aklan told me that, there are unusual security preparations in Kalibo for the upcoming Ati-atihan Festival due to the successive killings in the said town recently.
I thought that was it until I came to know as I continue listening to the radio coverage that no other than the security escort of Magayanes was the culprit.
Nobody could really know what was in the mind of PO1 Jonathan Moreño when he shot his immediate superior then the other policemen who came to neutralize him. He was also killed so we couldn't know his reason for doing it.
We could only surmise based on the circumstances presented.
It is unfortunate that a policeman like him tasked to secure his superior and the public was the one who perpetrated the killings.
However, the tragedy is also a good eye opener on the part of the National Police Commission and Philippine National Police to review the procedure in admitting policemen. Perhaps, a more stringent process should be employed with regard to the testing of the neurological and psychological capacity of the applicant.
I personally know Chief Insp. Ilejay when he was still assigned in Camp Delgado . He is somebody who was easy to go along with, he was very friendly to the media. He usually invited us to join their operation against illegal drugs. Indeed, he is one dynamic police officer. He is a great loss to the entire police organization and to the town of Kalibo .
