(Death of Javier is an article written by Jose J. Burgos, Jr. and published in Malaya on February 14, 1986 a few days after the paper ran news of the assassination of Evelio Javier.)
The gruesome sight on page 1 that greeted Malaya’s readers Wednesday morning was that of the lifeless, bloody body of former Antique Governor Evelio Javier who was mercilessly gunned down by six hooded assassins in broad daylight at the provincial capitol in San Jose, infront of many people.
The ill-fated victim, a brilliant and promising 43-year-old opposition leader, who had led Cory Aquino to a victory in that province, was cold-bloodedly shot with Armalites. He ran and sought refuge in toilet but the killers followed him, forced open the door and finished him off with a shot in the head.
There was no doubt that the killing was motivated by politics. Antique Governor Enrique A. ZaIdivar said KBL Arturo Pacificador, the deceased’s political enemy, was behind the heinous crime. He identified two of the murderers as PC Capt. John Paloy and a hired gun, Boy Iran.
The whole nation was shocked at the utter brutality of the crime. That it was done in broad daylight, right at the provincial seat of government and in the presence of many people testifies to the wanton contempt for the law exhibited by the killers.
I was sick in the stomach when I saw the picture and read the vivid account of murder, I am sure the hundreds of thousands of other Filipinos who also read Wednesday’s Malaya felt the same way.
I asked myself as all other people must have similarly asked themselves: Has lawlessness in this country reached such a level of depravity that a man as prominent as the victim could be done away with so openly in such a cruel and cold-blooded fashion? Can any Filipino be safe from the hoodlums and terrorists roaming our country, ready to take the life of anyone who incurs the political displeasure of those m power?
I looked again at the picture and suddenly the vision changed to that of Ninoy Aquino lying in a pool of his blood at the MIA tarmac. The picture changed to that of Fr. Tullio Favali, then to Zamboanga City Mayor Climaco’s to that of former Pampanga Gov. Jose Lingad, and funny to the mutilated bodies of countless Filipinos who died violent deaths at the hands of assassins who until now could not be identified because there are powerful forces which shield them.
As my eyes focused further on the photo, I began to visualize that it the body of Evelio Javier was also that of democracy in our country. And of freedom … of truth … and of justice. Evelio Javier should be alive today if the Marcos government had only allowed justice to take its course in that infamous Sibalom bridge killing of seven people before the 1984 Batasan election. Although investigation conducted by the AFP JAGO and the justice Ministry pointed to the same MP Pacificador as the main culprit, no action was taken by the government because Pacificador was a top leader of the KBL.
And so, non-action on the part of the government gave Antique’s terrorists a sense of immunity and made them feel that they can do anything against the laws of God and man and get away with it.
Death of Javier
By Jose J. Burgos, Jr.
Malaya, February 14, 1986