Wed, 10/24/2018

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

Th resolution, co-authored by Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano of Abang Lingkod Partylist, directs the House to investigate the crime that happened last Saturday, October 20, in Hacienda Nene in Barangay Bulanon, Sagay where nine 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 states that local authorities are looking into the alleged land dispute on 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”, lamented Benitez.

“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.*