Family feud at takut-takut

July  21, 2011, Thursday, at five o’ clock in the afternoon Fatma, 52 year old, went out of her house to see what was going on, because there was a commotion caused by a shooting. She heard a shot fired into the air.

Her neighbors told her that Abousuhod’s son was shot at the marketplace while collecting rent for the Mayor’s office. He was reported to have died on the spot.  The boy was 15-year old, a high school fourth year student of Hajji Butu School of Arts and Trade (HABSAT). Instead of picking the dead body, the boy’s father immediately took out his Uzzi and boarded a motorcycle, then went straight to Takut-takut.  Rosalyn Sarapuddin, 18, happened into the path of Abousuhod who was on her way home and he shot her right in front of the house of the barangay captain. The barangay captain, Jamhali Sirajani, was at the time in Zamboanga City. The OIC, Mujir Arasad, and Abdulgani Mijan, a barangay councilor, and Benjamin Mijan, a barangay tanod, were there. Abousuhod told them and all in sight to get out if they didn’t want to be involved. “Bang kamu di mabaya malapay, ig kamu.” The three barangay officials quit the scene.  Rosalyn was screaming, “Way aku lamud ha hiluhala!” (I am not involved in your feud!) when bullets were shot at her. Both her upper legs wounded, two each. Her right arm was also wounded. A bullet ripped through her stomach.

Kah Hulma was on her way out to get her 17-year old daughter who was at school. Hearing about the trouble between the two feuding families, she went out of her house worried about her safety. She saw Rosalyn sprawled on the ground surrounded by many people. She told the crowd, “Daha niyu pahospital!” but no one moved. The men told her they can’t do that because Abousuhod was waiting way ahead with the threat that anybody who will bring the victim to the hospital will be shot at as well. There was another motorcycle waiting at the entrance of the gate as back-up. Abousuhod had two other men with him, the driver and another man. But none of the men was known to the residents.

Since no one would dare bring the girl to the hospital, Kah Hulma flagged a tricycle and told the men to lift her into the vehicle. She was afraid the girl would hemorrhage to death. Her 20-year old son Fahad was shouting and crying,  Inah! Ayaw kah tumabang! In nanimbak nagtatagad ha duhul! (“Mother, don’t you help her! The killer is waiting at the gate!”) Angry beyond despair, Kah Hulma did not listen to him and went on with her way. Luck was with her that day because before they reached the entrance, a police jeep was on its way to the place of the incident. She stopped them and asked them to move the bleeding girl into their vehicle. She accompanied them to the hospital.

In 2009 following a quarrel over the collection of rent in the marketplace, Abousuhod had shot a certain Sergeant Makdirul resulting to the latter’s death. In revenge, Sergeant Makdirul’s son shot at Abousuhod’s 15-year-old son on July 21, 2011. To escape retaliation, Makdirul’s sons thereafter quit the town and are said to be now in Parang, Sulu Islands. Rosalyn is a niece of Sgt. Makdirul. Only she and her 43-year old mother, Anurra, have remained in Jolo. Thinking they are both women of no consequence to either families, they thought the feud between the men won’t get at them. Rosalyn survived the shooting and at the moment, she and her mother are said to have disappeared from the town as well.