Stray bullet baby buried after baptism

TUGUEGARAO CITY , Philippines   â€“ Grief and cries for justice punctuated the baptism of three-month-old Von Alexander Llagas into the Christian world even as he was buried Saturday after he was killed by a stray bullet on New Year’s Eve in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

“His parents (Valeriano and Vanessa) did not attend the burial because we have a superstitious belief here that it is bad luck for the mother and father of the dead infant to accompany (him) to the final resting place,” according to Gondalina Tugade, a barangay official of the village where the Llagases reside.

Tugade said villagers pitched in to assist the Llagas couple during the infant’s wake.

Tugade said her husband Tante, a skilled carpenter, made the casket for the infant.

Llagas was buried Saturday at the public cemetery in Caoayan town.

Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Luis Singson and Caoayan Mayor Germy Goulart gave financial assistance to the Llagas family.

Singson also urged residents to help identify the gunman.

Singson had offered a P250,000 cash reward for any information leading to the identification and arrest of the gunman.

Singson urged the police to spare no efforts in solving the case.

Police investigators led by Ilocos Sur provincial police director Senior Superintendent Jemar

Modequillo said they will start today scouring the 100-meter perimeter of the community where the gunman was supposed to have fired the handgun that could have killed the Llagas baby.

Modequillo had revealed experts and informants have gathered details that pointed to the location.

He added that four firemen have put under close watch.

The four brothers are residents of the community where the Llagases lived and have surrendered their firearms to the police for ballistic examination.

Citing findings made by forensic and ballistics investigators, Modequillo said the fragment of the slug taken from the head of the infant was either a caliber .38 or a 9mm.

He said investigators would focus on the trail of the gunman based on his suspected location within a 100-meter radius of the Llagas house.

On the other hand, Ilocos Norte police director Senior Superintendent Gerardo Ratuita said they are awaiting the findings of the ballistic examination on the slug extracted from the head of another stray bullet fatality, two-year-old Rhanz Angelo Corpuz who died last Jan. 2.

Corpuz was also hit by a stray bullet in the head while sleeping in the family living room hours before the New Year revelry.

 -Teddy Molina