2 men shot dead by masked men a few hours after singing in videoke joint

By Kevin A. Lagunda
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
FRANCISCO Bencila Jr. sang “Paalam Na Aking Mahal (Goodbye My Love),” inside a videoke joint near his house in the pier area in Cebu City last Sunday afternoon, his girlfriend told her mother Sergia Jarantilla.
The 25-year-old former porter, Jarantilla was told, later caressed the face of his girlfriend and said: “Last na bitaw ni (This is the last time).”
The girlfriend just laughed, not knowing her boyfriend would be dead past 4 p.m. Sunday.
Bencila was shot dead along with his friend, a certain Gardo, by two masked men riding on a motorcycle in Barangay Tinago.
The victims’ three other companions were left unscathed after they were able to run.
PO3 Geoffrey Gutual of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Homicide Section said Bencila was hit in the left temple and in the body, while Gardo suffered gunshot wounds in the body and face.
Mad at ‘snatcher’
Gutual, in a phone interview, said it is possible that the killers were mad at Gardo, who was allegedly a snatcher.
“We are trying to identify the victims’ friends so they can give us clues in our investigation,” he said in Cebuano.
Despite bearing the marks of a vigilante-style killing, Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, the City Intelligence Branch, told ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol that the murder was not carried out by vigilantes.
Cebu City Police Office personnel gathered seven empty shells of a .45 pistol in the crime scene.
They also recovered one earring from the right hand of Bencilan, two black and white slippers, and one ball cap.
For her part, Jarantilla said he knew his son was not a snatcher. The 51-year-old mother said Bencila had no criminal records. She said her son stopped working because of the pain he felt in his back.
A victim’s neighbor told the police that Gardo allegedly planned to victimize someone after they finished drinking beer.
“Gardo was the one who really planned. He persuaded Bencila to join him,” Gutual said in Cebuano.
Singing session
Bencila’s aunt, Rosalina Jarantilla, said she did not see her nephew drink ing beer with Gardo.
She said a neighbor told her that the two met at the videoke joint past 2 p.m.
After the singing session, Bencila went along with Gardo toward the road.
Some warehouse workers saw that Bencila was sleeping on the island. When the assailants arrived, the victim was jolted from his sleep and ran.
It was Gardo who was killed first. An earring was later found in the palm of his left hand, Gutual said.
Bencila was chased by the culprits. Witnesses told the police that he went back his way, knelt in front of the culprits and asked them to spare his life. But he was shot.
“Kung way labot, nganong tiwasan man nila (If he is not part of the group, why kill him)?” Jarantilla said. (USJ-R Intern Careen Malahay)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 08, 2011.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/11/08/2-men-shot-dead-masked-men-few-hours-after-singing-videoke-joint-189314