Police cordon off the area where members of the Dizon family were killed in North Ridge Royal Subdivision in Sto. Cristo village, San Jose del Monte town in Bulacan province. 鈥擡DWIN BACASMAS
The man who confessed to the massacre of a family in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan last Tuesday tested negative for drug use, dousing lawmen鈥檚 hopes of turning him into a poster boy for capital punishment.
Construction worker Carmelino Iba帽ez, 26, earlier claimed he was on drugs when he killed Estrella Carlos, her mother Aurora Dizon and Carlos鈥� three children Donnie, 11; Ella, 7; and 1-year-old Dexter Jr. before dawn of June 27.
Carlos, 28, and her 58-year-old mother appeared to have been raped.
鈥淚 regret what I did. I was hooked on drugs,鈥� Iba帽ez said in Filipino when he was presented to media on Thursday.
Argument for death penalty
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Isidro Lape帽a had said the Carlos family killing was the best argument for the restoration of the death penalty for drug cases.
But City of San Jose del Monte police chief Supt. Fitz Macariola said the drug test conducted on Iba帽ez after his arrest turned out negative.
Macariola said the drug test result does not affect the five charges of murder and two counts of rape that were filed against Iba帽ez at the San Jose del Monte prosecutor鈥檚 office.
Police are studying the possible involvement of two other men, identified only as 鈥淚nggo鈥� and 鈥淭ony,鈥� whom Iba帽ez claimed were with him when he attacked the family.
None of the three men were on the SJDM police鈥檚 drug watch list but Macariola said Iba帽ez鈥� confession and forensic evidence were strong enough to get a conviction for murder and rape.
Another matter
But it鈥檚 another matter in the case presented by PDEA chief Lape帽a who said the death penalty will be a 鈥渟trong deterrent against offenders of heinous crimes correlated to illegal drugs.鈥�
鈥淭he suspect admitted that he was high on drugs upon (the) commission of the crime. Only (a) drug-crazed person can stab savagely his victims, including a helpless 1-year-old child, multiple times and rape them after,鈥� Lape帽a said.
Lape帽a pointed out that Iba帽ez confessed that he carried out the attack after a night spent drinking and using methamphetamine hydrochloride or 鈥渟habu.鈥�
鈥淗e (Iba帽ez) heard voices prodding him to break into the house, an obvious sign of drug-induced hallucinations,鈥� the PDEA chief noted.
鈥淗arsher penalties must be dealt with people like Iba帽ez, manufacturers, smugglers, pushers and all the more coddlers and protectors of illegal drugs in the country, both foreign and domestic, who were proven guilty in court. They deserve nothing more than capital punishment,鈥� Lape帽a said.
According to Lape帽a, a Social Weather Station survey conducted March 25 to 28 found that six of 10 Filipinos are in favor of reinstating the death penalty.
鈥淭his goes to show that despite strong opposition from various sectors, including religious groups, a great majority of our countrymen support the move. I agree that drug use is a health issue but we should treat it is as a criminal issue altogether,鈥� he said./rga