CEBU CITY – A man who had been abandoned by his wife held captive three young boys in a mountain barangay of Toledo City and was shot dead by police for refusing to surrender and hurting one kid on Thursday.
Allan Bolo, a laborer, hacked and wounded one of the two three-year-old boys. The other boy and his five-year-old brother were unharmed.
The hostage drama in Sitio Danawon, Barangay Biga started at 5:30 a.m. when Bolo lured the boys to get inside his bamboo house by offering them cassava or kamoteng kahoy.
The boys, who are cousins, had slept together and woke up early. They accepted Bolo’s offer as he was familiar to them. They called him “Tatay”.
Bolo, 31, sang a Christmas song to the boys, but neighbors noticed that he had a bolo with him.
He told his neighbors that he was holding the boys hostages and would not release them until his wife got back with him.
He said bringing his wife back to him was his Christmas wish that he’d like granted.
His 38-year-old wife Arlene left their house last Tuesday after a fight over his jealousy. Bolo had been suspecting that his wife was carrying on an affair with another man.
Bolo allegedly had slashed Arlene in the leg, which could have prompted her to flee their house.
Neighbors told Sun.Star Cebu that the couple, who had been together for five years, frequently argued. They have a three-year-old daughter.
Seeing that Bolo was not releasing the three boys, barangay officials immediately sought the help of the Toledo police.
Responding policemen wore plain clothes in anticipation that Bolo would resent the presence of law enforcers and might harm the kids.
Police tried to talk Bolo out of holding the children and threatening to harm them.
He had tied the two brothers to his side with a rope and their cousin straddled his neck.
Bolo threatened to kill the boys at 10 a.m. unless his demands were granted.
He demanded to be given four hand grenades, two high-powered Armalites, and a .45 pistol. If he had these items, he would release the boys.
He told police negotiators that there was no solution to his problem and he would die anyway.
Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador sent the operatives of Special Reaction Unit to back up the Toledo police.
Comendador also went to the sitio.
The three boys were not crying and were obviously unaware of the gravity of their situation. They even were repeating Bolo’s words.
Police followed procedures in negotiating with a hostage-taker but failed to persuade Bolo to surrender.
“We only had a last option and that was to shoot the suspect. He was already unreasonable,” Comendador said.
Bolo unchained the door to his house, upon the request of police.
Toledo policeman Police Officer 3 Arman Enriquez, who had positioned himself right outside the window, shot Bolo in the chest.
Bolo fell to the ground, and in so doing, slashed one of the boy’s right arm with his bolo. The arm almost got severed.
Police immediately got in and rescued the boys.
Some residents reportedly attacked Bolo when police were out of sight. He didn’t make it alive at the Carmen Copper Corp. Hospital.
Neighbors told Sun.Star Cebu that Bolo would go amok when he got drunk. He also was wooing women when his relationship with his wife was turning sour.
Meanwhile, the wounded boy was brought to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center at 1:56 p.m. and was to undergo surgery for his arm.
The brothers, on the other hand, will be subjected to a stress debriefing by the Department of Social Welfare and Services.
One of the kids also pooped in his pants out of fear.
The father of the siblings was relieved that his kids were safe.
The former scout ranger was about to go off from work as a security guard when his wife told him that their kids had been taken hostages by their neighbor. (Sun.Star Cebu)
