Onion farmer’s suicide not due to losses in farming
PNP INVESTIGATION RESULT
THE police investigation of the alleged harassment of the family of a woman who testified in a hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Agriculture who claimed her husband committed suicide because he lost heavily in onion farming, has been terminated with two findings – Suicide two years ago was not caused by losses in recent onion farming, and there was only one farmer, not five as earlier reported in the national media.
In an interview by IFM Dagupan with P/Colonel Jeff Fanged, PNP provincial director, he declared that Merly Gallardo, widow of Roger Gallardo who committed suicide, was not harassed by elements of the Bayambang police.
He said perhaps the widow simply felt apprehensive over the visits of policemen who sought to clarify her testimony before the Senate committee that if her husband, Roger, committed suicide in 2021 it could not have been because of the losses he obtained from recent onion farming but over his half a million peso loan in 2021 as a result of the onslaught of army worms called ”harabas”.
Roger’s death certificate showed he died room respiratory failure secondary to organophosphate poisoning.
“No harassment was done,” said Col. Fanged who personally went to see Mrs. Gallardo at her house to assure to her that she is not being harassed by the police and the latter and only wanted to get the bottom of her story about her husband’s suicide.
Fanged also clarified that there was only one suicide case in Bayambang and not five as erroneously reported in the national media. He underscored the fact that suicide had nothing to do with the recent onion supply but his loan.
He said with the PNP’s findings, he expected the DILG provincial officer to be reinstated and absolved of charges.
DILG Provincial Director Virgilio Sison, was relieved from his post on order of DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., after media reported that Merly Gallardo was being harassed by the police on his order. (104.7 IFM Dagupan/Badz Agtalao)
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