Amierkhan Mangacop dreamed of becoming a seaman to support his cash-strapped family in Maguindanao but his death dashed whatever hopes they have for a better life, lamented Anwar Mangacop, the victim's uncle, in an emotional press conference at their residence here Friday, July 8.
FATHER FIGURE
Anwar said that he had taken care of the victim since he was six-years-old as his parents, both farmers, could hardly support him and his five siblings.
Amierkhan left his hometown for this city in search of a safer and better future, Anwar said. As his parents could not afford to send all six of them to school, Anwar supported the victim’s schooling.
Amierkhan was allegedly killed by Dr. Marvin Rey Andrew R. Pepino, 31, who shot the victim following a commotion at Lugar Café and Bar here. The suspect worked as a non-uniformed personnel of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao.
“Ang kuya ko farmer pati asawa niya, magulang lang sa isang kahig isang tuka ang ilang kinabuhi, dili nila kaya paeskwelahon ilang anak mao ng ako nagpa-eskwela kay nagtuo gyud me nga future ni Amier dire sa Davao (My brother and his wife are farmers. They are living in poverty and could not afford to send their children to school. That is why I helped Amier go to school as we really thought Amier had a future in Davao),” he said.
Amierkhan, a Grade 9 student at the Catalunan Grande National High School, had been helping his uncle in his landscaping business so that he could save up for himself and his parents.
PROMISING LIFE SHATTERED
Anwar believed that his nephew, a self-supporting and caring son to his family, would have lived a promising life in the future had he not died in the hands of the Pepino.
“’Yung bata na yan sobrang matulungin talaga, very promising pa ang kinabuhi sa akong pag umangkon ang nipusil ra doctor pa gyud nga mao ang mo save sa life, mo save og kinabuhi (That child was very helpful and would have lived a promising life but his life was ended by a doctor was supposed to save a life),” he said.
The victim’s uncle said they are seeking justice for Amierkhan as they demanded a fair and objective investigation of the case as their family has no connections with those in power unlike Pepino whose father was the late Major Gen. Marvin Manuel Pepino, who served as director of the Cybercrime Investigation Office of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and whose aunt is a judge.
The family criticized police for their portrayal of Amierkhan as one of the assailants in the commotion that escalated into a shooting incident.
Amierkhan’s parents, who requested anonymity, wanted to see the one responsible for their child’s death jailed.
The victim’s mother said she would miss her child who would come home looking for his favorite “tinola” (chicken broth soup). Amierkhan would have turned 20 on July 23.
Gibb Andrew Cabahug, the counsel for the Mangacop family, questioned the accuracy of the report of the police investigation suggesting that Pepino shot his firearm seven times as an act of self-defense after being mauled by the group of Mangacop.
“These people have no capability to make any form of retaliation to the accused. They are not a danger to the life and security of the accused. They are not in the position to make those kind of action, they are just ordinary, peace loving, and law-abiding citizens. They do not drink, they do not smoke, they are peaceful believers of the Muslim faith,” he said.
He said the police portrayed Pepino as the victim of the incident. Cabahug said it was Pepino who was the unlawful aggressor, not Amierkhan.
Cabahug urged people who witnessed the incident to come out and give their statements as they have “difficulty security the testimonies of other people in support of our complaint for the filing of the information for murder.”