By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran believes the recent brutal crime incidents in the city were committed by vigilantes.

Familiaran made the comments following the recent recovery of two severed hands placed on a container with sour beef stew or “linaga,” and the recent killing of a fish vendor, who previously served jail time for illegal drugs.

In a radio interview over the weekend, Familiaran said the recent criminal incidents are not ordinary, and are a big challenge to Bacolod City Police Office director, Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir.

Earlier, Police Station 7 commander, Major Elmer Bonilla said the slain fish vendor had a previous drug-related charge when he was arrested in a buy-bust operation in 2019.

The victim was found on Friday, January 27, hogtied and blindfolded with duct tape and had multiple gunshot wounds all over his body, in an empty lot at Hacienda Guanzon in the city’s Barangay Mansilingan.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police’s Scene of the Crime Operatives confirmed that the severed hands were real, but evidence suggests that the hands were not cooked with the stew or “linaga.”

One of the individuals, listed on the paper with the “severed hands,” identified as “RR,” was not involved in illegal drug activities.

Police Station 2 commander, Captain Jonito Pastrana said “RR” was previously assigned to their station as an anti-illegal drugs operative.

The alleged drug suspect has since left the police station and is now undergoing further schooling, and he refused to be assigned to any anti-illegal drug unit again.

Pastrana also revealed that he had already talked to the 12 of the 22 individuals on the list, and all of them were noted to be “emotional” and admitted to have been involved in illegal drug activities./DGB, WDJ