News report by the Bohol Chronicle"Task Force Dumaluan" was created 48 hours after the shooting of former Panglao Mayor Doloreich Dumaluan at his beach resort in Bolod, Panglao town last Tuesday.
PNP Prov'l Director Edgardo Ingking appointed Police Supt. Abner Catalia to head the task force commissioned to dig deeper into the shooting incident. The PNP and CIDG were ordered to join hands in the investigation.
The shooting incident ensued after heated altercation objecting the erection of an electric post for the power connection of My Beach Resort, a new restaurant/resort undergoing construction beside Dumaluan's resort, owned by an Indian national married to a Boholana.
Dumaluan sustained a gunshot wound in his left shoulder after the shootout with alleged security personnel of the resort beside Dumaluan Beach Resort in barangay Bolod, Panglao town at 2:30 p.m. last Tuesday. He was airlifted to a Cebu hospital on that same day. The former mayor recovered fast from his gunshot wound and was able to celebrate Panglao's town fiesta last Friday.
The former mayor was allegedly fired upon by one Teodulo Macalandag, a resident of barangay Tiptip, this city.
Macalandag, based on police criminal records, had been convicted of homicide and several cases of robbery. Earlier, there were claims that Macalandag is a blue guard of a Manila-based security agency which was later denied by the agency.
The suspected assailant of former Panglao mayor is charged with frustrated murder and three counts of attempted murder at the Provincial Prosecutor's Office.
Police reported that a certain Michael Culgue and Dexter Dumadapat, both construction workers of My Beach Resort narrated that at around 2 p.m. last Wednesday, while they were carrying a GE pipe along the shoreline in between the two resorts, the former mayor approached them carrying a shotgun, without any reason allegedly strike Culgue on his left side and strike also his co-worker Dumadapat on his right side.
This claim run counter as ex-mayor Dumaluan, in his sworn affidavit said that a little past 2 p.m. last Tuesday, while he was at his drug laboratory near the Land Transportation Office (LTO), this city, he got a call from his resort supervisor Sixto Dejan informing him that an engineer from the Bohol Electric Cooperative (Boheco) together with Opada, who is the foreman of the construction in the nearby resort, were about to erect a post on the shore fronting his property. According to Dumaluan, he proceeded to his resort and instructed Dejan to stop the men from erecting the electrical post as it is within the 20-meter salvage zone and it would pose danger to the resort's guests and people going to the beach.
While on his way to Panglao, the former mayor learned after calling up Boheco manager Carlos Itable that no Boheco personnel were dispatched to erect a post in Dumaluan's beach resort.
When Dumaluan arrived at the resort, he instructed one of his security guards to follow him to the beachfront and confronted the man who introduced himself as the engineer from Boheco, whom the former mayor later learned to be Toston. During the confrontation, Toston admitted that he was not actually employed with Boheco but were about to erect the post for the electrical connection of Nair's resort. Dumaluan told Frank Toston and his companions that he would not allow them to erect the post ordering them to bring the post and their equipment out of his property.
However, when the men were leaving, Frank Toston allegedly approached Dumaluan who was standing on the side of his beach property and shouted "What is your law?" (Unsa man gud imong balaod?) Toston purportedly came "threateningly closer and even elbowed me", Dumaluan stated in his affidavit.
That was when Dumaluan's resort supervisor and two companions closed in, screening Toston but the former mayor told them not to hurt the latter. Toston turned to leave Dumaluan's property together with his companions. Seeing that they were leaving, Dumaluan said he also turned towards his resort. However, before he could start walking away, he heard the alarmed voice of resort supervisor Dejan shouting that one was holding a gun. Dumaluan said he turned in time to see Macalandag shoot him, hitting his shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground. Dumaluan said that while on the ground, he saw Macalandag and Toston firing several shots from their firearms towards his direction and his companions. Upon his instructions, Dumaluan was rushed by personnel of his resort to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital.
After several minutes while Dumaluan was lying and being treated at the emergency room, another wounded man came in whom he recognized as the one who shot him earlier. Dumaluan said he immediately shouted for everyone to hear that this was the man who shot him, who was later identified as Macalandag, an ex-convict.
Dumaluan alleged in his complaint that Toston, Macalandag, Opada and the two other still unidentified suspects acted in conspiracy together with the Nair couple to commit the crime against him.
Lawyer Aleck Francis Lim told the Chronicle that charges for frustrated murder and attempted murder will also be filed against Frank Toston and Larry Opada, both residents of barangay Songculan, Dauis; Satish and Jacinta Nair; and two still unidentified suspects who were present during the shootout.
An inquest hearing for the charges against Macalandag is scheduled on September 9 at the Provincial Prosecutor's Office, Atty. Lim bared.
RESORT OWNER DENIES PLOTJacinta, wife of the Indian national resort owner called from South Africa last Friday and went on-air over dyRD last Thursday to strongly deny any plot to assassinate the former mayor.
During her long distance call to the radio station, Jacinta said it is "never in their culture to create trouble." In fact, since last year when they were about to start the construction of their restaurant/resort, they attempted several times to talk with Dumaluan but their invitations were all denied.
Lawyer J. Albert Tinampay, counsel of the Nair couple told the Chronicle that since July 10 this year, he, in behalf of his client, filed four grave coercion charges against the former mayor.
In a signed affidavit, a certain Reyland Fernandez alleged that the former mayor threatened him "to be shot dead and be paid if he does not stop the construction of a restaurant owned by Nair. The same claims were contained in the affidavit signed by Arnel Molina, Cirilo Luceno and Eduardo Culgue.
The cases filed at the 14th Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Dauis town were dismissed after said cases lack the needed preliminary investigation by the Provincial Prosecution Office.
Asst Prov'l Prosecutor Julius Cesar has set the clarificatory hearing on Sept. 16 this year.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=21843.0