Finding a dad and losing him again

The call came when i was too busy preparing for a seminar-workshop we will handle the next day (Saturday). My dad's dead? The stocky man i've known as my dad is dead, one that i never really came to know much since he left us when i was just about 10 years old. The way he died is not clear. There were just some mention of gunshot but the other things were fuzzy.

I left everything, went to the bank and took the last trip to baguio from bontoc. I planned to take my brother Chris or Mng. Ming to accompany me so we could reach Masbate earlier especially so that there was no one in there to check on what's going on. But,Chris was nowhere and Mng. ming has to do some emergency arrangements in his work place. So, we got a van that took 11 of us (Uncle Ab, Mama, Mng Ming, Mng Med, Gaud, Chris, Uncle Tanong, Uncle Esteron, Uncle Gol, Lolo Baclangen and I) to Daet, Camarines norte to pick Uncle Felix Degyawi. From Daet, we proceeded to Legazpi City where we spent the night in Camp Ola as visitors of Inspector Arauco, a batchmate of Uncle Gol.

At 3:00 AM we drove to Pilar, Sorsogon where we took the 5:30 trip to Aroroy, Masbate. The trip was uneventful except that my eyes got blurry - sore eyes which i might have caught from Km 3 from my cousins who were suffering such. Well, the flying fishes were a beautiful sight to behold everytime they spread their wings and fly.

We reached Goldbug Syndicate (even the name has a sinister sound) after about 20 minutes ride on tricycle. There i saw my pa in his coffin. though he left us when we were still kids, still his dying seems to break my heart. Not that he died, but the way he died. He was a victim of hold-up. They tied his hand at his back, and maybe to get information from him had to knife his chest with x's until he gave up and showed them where he kept his money. But, they did not spare him and so they shot him on his eyebrow and the bullet passed through his cheek. It really made me cry to think that people would do anything just for a small amount of money.

When i sat down and talked with the people i found out another side of our dad, he at least at the very least had done something good before his death. He has a neighbor named Walter Bagtang, who had been crippled for about 8-9 years already who testified that it was dad who helped feed him in all his years there since he was crippled since he cannot do much work. Another family who lives on the other room testified that he also helped his children. And, he tried his best to help one man who was returned to his family after he cannot work anymore. It makes me happy to think that really even if he did not feed us or let's say he was afraid to feed us before so he left us, he at least did something good for others.

One thing more, accordingly, he was planning to come home so he was keeping his money. But, home to him was not with us anymore but somewhere beyond what eyes can see.

When i was working for his death certificate, i chanced on someone named Bella who was also taking the birth certificates of her children. Why? so they could leave the place.... Almost everybody in the place is afraid. In fact as one confided, or when night time comes, she does not feel at ease and she's so afraid that she is always shivering of fright; another confided that she goes to sleep with other neighbors at night. It was made so clear when it was still five o'clock but my companions who went down to town were so afraid that even if it is only 20 minutes from town to goldbug, we already need to go home.

But, i also found out that the perpetrators are being cuddled by a stronger force that it is hard to pin them down. The neighbors cannot even open their mouth to tell what they know to the police and the police easily accepted reasons as they were dead drunk and that they did not hear anything. Knowing the place of the crime, it is really hard to believe their alibi but the police just accepted it as is. The people are so afraid but the witnesses are even more afraid to testify.

The only witness who was not so afraid to testify was one who was not really from the place, Walter. But, Walter cannot just testify there and though he gave leads as the last words of my dad before his death, he did not give it in full - he ommitted the name knowing that it will be too dangerous for all of us if he will tell the name. So, it was only after we were already on our way (we have to bring him with us coz we know that if we will leave him there, they will kill him), he told us the full words which are, "Minye, akala ko ba magkakapatid tayo?" The full impact even caught us by surprise coz Minye, whose full name is Herminio Abunda, is the kagawad who tried helping us. He was there trying to help but i found out that his aim was not really to help but to make sure that his plot will work according to his direction. It's so frustrating.

My pa's case is not the first but no one was ever caught. Will it be the last? We were thinking of filing a case but will it be worth it? As of now, we are still on the process of contemplating our next action.