Suspected mentally deranged man in Agusan Norte town in hacking spree; two seriously wounded

by Ben Serrano

      April 12, 2011

                BUENAVISTA, Agusan del Norte (PNA)  - Without apparent reason, a suspected mentally deranged man hacked two gasoline station pump boys in separate occasions and different gas stations here Sunday evening, Buenavista police report said.

                As if gone berserk, the suspect later identified as by Jimmy Troque, legal age, single and a resident of Purok 1, National Highway, Barangay Agong-ong, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte with sharp bolo in tow hacked first Shell gas pump boy Daniel Agcol Calunsag, 18 who was busy attending his customers.

                Calunsag sustained two hack wounds in his nape and was immediately brought to Agusan del Norte Provincial Hospital in Butuan City.

                Witnesses at the Shell gas station located at Poblacion Buenavista told probers the suspect was murmuring fuming mad with his bolo as if blaming the gasoline station pump boy for recent oil price crisis.

                After the Shell Gas station attack, Troque already with blooded hands immediately proceeded to another gas station, Phoenix Gas station and with the same sharp bolo hacked pump boy Cesar Bopquis, 21, single.

                The helpless gas pump boy sustained hacked wounds at the upper left portion of the back penetrating the backbone.

                Responding Buenavista policemen immediately proceeded to the crime scene after ReJeffei Koo, security guard of Shell Gasoline station reported the incident to the Buenavista Police Office.

                When responding cops approached the suspect, the suspect suddenly attacked one of the cops forcing other policemen present to shot the suspect in the leg.

                It was only after the cops disabled the suspect, Troque was finally subdued but was later brought to local hospital for treatment.

                Medical personnel had requested security policemen to guard the suspect for fear that after medical sedation subside the suspect will go wild again.

                Buenavista Police said they are still looking for the relatives of the suspect to decide on whether he will be brought to mental hospital for mental check-up or treatment. 

                The number of mentally-ill persons in Caraga region have risen up in the first to second quarters of this year forcing concern citizens to respective local government units to form special team to gather all mentally ill patients now roaming in the streets unattended.

              The DOH Caraga and the DSWD regional offices claimed they had no mental medical facilities to house the growing numbers pf suspected mentally ill persons in the Caraga region.  (PNA/Ben Serrano)