“Black magic” woman, 70, shot dead in Samboan

CEBU, Philippines - A 70-year-old woman was shot dead by three unidentified assailants inside her house in Sitio Calasa, Barangay Colase, Samboan Saturday afternoon. Bartola Catubig, a native of Siquijor province, succumbed to a gunshot wound in her left breast with the bullet exiting her back. She was taken to the Don Cuenco Memorial Hospital in Malabuyoc town but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician. Assailants were reportedly on board a black motorcycle. The driver and one of the back riders were described as wearing full-faced helmets and black sweat shirt while the other back rider was wearing a black T-shirt and a black baseball cap. PO1 Joseph Belangoy, responding officer, said that Catubig was sleeping at her house when assailants reportedly called her to have a drink. They found a glass and a 1.5-liter bottle of water near the window. Belangoy suspected that when Catubig put the water on the table, one of the assailants shot at her once. Neighbors heard a single burst of gunfire from the house of Catubig. However, nobody went out of the house to verify what happened out of fear. Police discounted that Catubig was robbed because none of her valuables inside the house was missing. According to the victim’s daughter, Simplicia, her mother once informed her that somebody got mad at her, accusing her of performing black magic or “barang”. “Dili gud na tinuod kay walay ebidensiya gipasanginlan lang siya,” Belangoy said in a phone interview. (It’s not true my mother was practicing that. They just made accusations even without presenting evidence.)