Couple in their 80s killed in North Cotabato home

COTABATO CITY – An octogenarian couple, both retired teachers, were brutally killed inside their home in Banisilan, North Cotabato before dawn Sunday, police said.

Colonel Ramel Hojilla, Cotabato police provincial director, identified the victims as Edwin Galeno, 81, and his wife Elsa, 82.

Quoting a report from the Banisilan municipal police station, Hojilla said the couple’s neighbors in Barangay Poblacion 2 heard cries for help, but were afraid to come out and check what happened.  

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They reported what they heard to village officials and the police.

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The attack was believed to have transpired between 3 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Police found the couple in a pool of blood inside their home with stab wounds to the head and body.

A bloodied kitchen knife and a piece of wood were recovered at the crime scene.

Shirlyn Macasarte, a member of the North Cotabato Sangguniang Panlalawigan, strongly condemned the brutal murder of the couple.

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“I strongly condemn this senseless and brutal act. Their lives were taken in the place where they should have felt safe –their own home,” Macasarte said in a statement.

Macasarte, a resident of Banisilan town, said Gov. Emmylou Mendoza had instructed her and fellow board member Sittie Antao to work closely with the police to fast track the resolution of the couple’s murder.

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She said the police have already identified “persons of interest” in the crime.

Macasarte said the slain couple were like parents to her.

“They were both my teachers when I was in elementary school. I have fond memories of those days, especially when I would eat lunch at their home when I was still a child. They were not only my teachers, but people who became part of my childhood,” she said.

“We mourn with their family, and we join the call for justice. May those responsible be held accountable,” she added.