Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez(Neg. Occ., 3rd District) has filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the recent killings of the nine members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

The resolution, that was co-authored by Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist),directs the House of Representatives to investigate the crime that happened in Hacienda Nene in Barangay Bulanon Saturday, wherenine NFSW members including four women and two minors were shot by unknown gunmen while they were resting inside their tents.

Benitez said, “The government must guarantee a fast but thorough investigation on the case and ensure that the perpetrators be identified soon make them face the full wrath of the law.”

The Resolution said that local authorities are looking into the alleged land dispute in Hacienda Nene that may have caused the killings.

“The angle of land dispute as a probable cause for this crime is quite disconcerting. There are proper venues to resolve these kind of issues. What happened to the nine members of NSFW was savagery”, Benitez said.

“The Philippine Congress should not only look at this present crime, but also investigate any deeply rooted issues that may have led to the massacre and hopefully come up with appropriate solutions that will prevent another incident in the future,” Benitez added. *