By MHIKE CIGARAL
MORONG, Bataan–A 20-year-old lending company collector on Wednesday was found dead in a vacant lot in Sitio Minanga, Barangay Mabayo of this town.
Police said a resident found Joel Macalalag, single, a credit collector of the Olongapo City branch of Frewill Lending Co., with two gunshot wounds in his head, face down, with hands and feet hogtied.
According to Alfredo Macalalag, the victim’s father, his son had been missing since Tuesday.
“Araw araw umuuwi iyan dito para mananghalian dito sa amin. Nung araw na yun hindi na siya bumalik (He comes home for lunch every day. But on that day he never arrived),” he said.
Police are still investigating the motive behind the killing. It could be a case of robbery, investigators said, but the manner of his death has raised suspicions that it could be a case of extrajudicial killing.
Members of leftist organizations here had been subjected to summary killings. One of the most high-profile cases include that of Bayan Muna leader and rebel returnee Felisa Timog, who was shot exactly four years ago on Wednesday allegedly by members of the New People’s Army.
But Macalalag had no affiliations with any group or organization, sources said. His father also said their family had no enemies, although his son had warned him of conflicts that might arise from the land they were tilling.
“Huwag na raw akong magtanim (He told me to stop farming),” the elder Macalalag said but failed to disclose if they owned the land or not.
The victim was his family’s lone income earner and was known as loving and kind to his colleagues and friends.