The Police Regional Office identified the victim as Diosdado Deleros Paw-as, 53, also known by his chieftain name as “Datu Cusip."
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Police claimed that around 20 fully-armed men went to the house of the victim. Four of them knocked on door, while the rest served as lookouts.
The report said the suspects shouted and ordered Datu Cusip to come out.
Butauanan
Four armed suspects forcibly entered Datu Cusip’s house prompting the tribal leader fight back and hack the arm of one of the intruders, who police suspect as New People's Army insurgents.
The hacking forced other suspects to fire their guns on Cusip, in front of stunned family members.
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He died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body, the police report said.
Datu Cusip’s wife told the police that three years ago, suspected NPA insurgents hogtied her husband, warning him for his alleged illegal logging activities and selling of ancestral domain lands.
According to her, his husband denied the allegations, saying his rivals among the tribe folk were the ones engaged in illegal logging and mining activities.
She added that her husband only wanted to divide their ancestral lands among tribal members to avoid further conflict, even as wealthy people posing as legitimate traders were allegedly financing illegal logging and mining activities in the area.
She said her husband had been heard many times complaining the existence in their place several illegal mining activities, supposedly tolerated by government agencies in connivance with wealthy traders.
Harassment by armed men had forced Datu Cusip’s family to move to a populated area in Rosario Poblacion for safety.
But last Thursday, the family went back to Sitio Cusip to attend to something. — Ben Serrano/LBG
