Fifty three year old Cris Bual, a mining executive, was with his wife for his daily jog along Isarog road in Davao City, when a lone assailant shot him in the head.
Bual sustained three gun shot wounds in the head and died instantly. The assailant escaped by riding a motorcycle. Police said aside from the gunman, there was another man involved in the gruesome crime.
The incident happened 5:30 in the morning, shortly after sunrise. James, son of Bual, says that his father always jogs in the morning around their subdivision in Central Park, Barangay Bangkal.
Two things: one, it is disturbing to note that such a crime happened right in the heart of Davao City. Davao City is supposed to be a "crime-free" city. Besides, everyone knows that there is an unwritten "agreement" between the Dutertes and rebel and crime syndicates to spare Davao City from such incidents and just make the city their "r&r".
The killing of Bual is unusual since there is a noticeable decline in the number of assassinations in Davao city since the Dutertes took office. Besides, the subdivision which Bual lives was actually the subdivision where the Dutertes formerly call home.
The son of Cris believes that the killing could be job-related since his father has no known enemies. A police investigation is currently being conducted to determine the real cause of the killing.
Bual has been an executive of Sagitarrius Mines Incorporated, the biggest mining firm in Mindanao. Bual serves as a stakeholder engagement superintendent, an offsite job which requires him to transact with individuals to be directly affected by the company's projects. He was assigned to Malalag, a town where SMI is planning to construct a port.
Intelligence sources say a unit of the New People's Army (NPA) is active in the area of Malalag, which is located in Davao del Sur. The NPA 71 Front Guerilla unit takes base in Malalag, a place where SMI intends to construct port facilities.
However, Bual is not involved in the construction of the port. He is, however, involved in convincing directly affected peoples in the area and secure their approval of the project. Being assigned at the offsite land acquisition job, his work is primarily non-mining related.
Bual has been working for SMI for three years now. Prior to his employment there, Bual was a regional manager of the Peace and Equity Foundation, an NGO committed to bring peace and development in Mindanao.
Last September 14, the Communist Party of the Philippines issued a statement condemning the entry of foreign mining firms in the country. The statement directly enjoined revolutionary forces to heighten their struggle against foreign mining firms. It is not known however, if the CPP-NPA-NDF did ordered the killing of Bual.
The NPA has not issued a statement. However, if we are to account their 2009 attack on SMI facilities in Tampakan, it is possible that this guerilla force did, indeed, committed a very shameful and gruesome act.
If the CPP-NPA-NDF did, indeed, ordered the killing of Bual, then, it is a shameful act. Why target civilians? Why kill people who are just doing their jobs? Is it necessary to spill blood just to show to the government and to the world that the CPP-NPA-NDF is still strong and as healthy as a carabao?
My sources say that Bual owes no debt of blood with the people of Davao del Sur. He is just an ordinary employee. Likewise, no judgment from a People's Court convicted the man of any crime against the Filipino People.
An order of execution results from a process. Are we saying that the killing of Bual was instinctual and did not come from an order from the People's Court? If so, why execute?
Are these Commies weaklings that they only dare to kill an innocent man? Bual was unarmed when he was shot. It was not an execution worthy of emulation.
Why is it that the CPP-NPA-NDF is focusing its efforts against foreign mining companies when the higher task of struggle is still unfinished?
The higher and most noble level of struggle is eliminate the scourges of Philippine society, such as drug lords, gambling and jueteng lords, kainingeros, illegal loggers, abusive soldiers and policemen and grafters in government.
Are the NPAs so weak and so damn stupid that they are now targetting the very same people whom they swore to protect and to fight for?
Target abusive cops. Kill grafters in government. Kill those jueteng lords that roam the jungles of Davao del Sur and the rest of Mindanao, and you will have our sympathies.
With this unjust killing, I am calling the NPAs cowards! You are besmirching the banner of the Revolution and the pure struggle of the Katipunan before you. You are not fit to be servants of the Filipino People!
Cris was a very good person. More than being an employee of a mining company, he was a father, a husband, a family man. He was just trying to earn a living for his family.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sir for writing this post. I just want to let you know that I truly appreciate it. This is his daughter. I still can't bear reading the entire post but thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sir for writing this post. I just want to let you know how much I appreciate it. I still can't bear reading the entire post. But thank you so much. This is his daughter.
ReplyDeletewe really sad for what happen to sir cris. he is our vice president in an association of NGO. sir we will miss you. thank you for the great time
ReplyDeleteWe do not seek revenge for uncle Cris' death but we seek justice!
ReplyDeleteTo whoever caused the death of this very good man; I pray that you realize the thing that you have done. If not in this world; if not today; you will receive your judgment one way or the other.