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Smoking saved my life, mediaman who escaped death in Pamplona says

Reynaldo “Butch” Tepace hid in a canal during the massacre*

As part of his regular schedule, Reynaldo “Butch” Tepace, a cameraman for Fil Products Service Television, would meet with Gov. Roel Degamo every Saturday in the town of Pamplona for their recording of The Provincial Report.

Saturday, March 4 was one such day. Arriving at the governor’s place in sitio Nuebe, barangay San Isidro in Pamplona, Tepace saw the usual crowd that would flock to the compound, usually to seek assistance or advice.

He parked his motorcycle across the street, some 15 meters away from the compound gate. While waiting for his reporter, who was following in another vehicle, Tepace lit a cigarette and enjoyed watching the fog that surrounded the governor’s home which, he said, added to the beautiful scenery in the mountain town of Pamplona.

After a few minutes, he saw three vehicles arrive – a black Montero, a Pajero, and what looked like a green pick-up truck. Two of them had their blinkers on, those lights typically used by police vehicles. Stopping by the governor’s gate, several people in military uniform, and all armed with high-powered assault rifles, got off the vehicle.

“They must be military personnel paying a courtesy visit,” he told himself. He planned to interview them once he got inside the compound.

The armed men went to the gate, and asked the guard: “Naa si guv?” The gate then opened, and several of them went in, while some stayed near or inside the vehicles.

All of a sudden, the sound of gunfire rang out inside the compound. He could hear people screaming in terror.

“Nilupad akong kalag (my soul flew off my body)”, he said. Tepace suddenly found himself inside a drainage canal near where he parked his motorcycle. “I had no idea how I ended up in that two-feet deep canal”, he said.

Although his head was still sticking out, he stayed in the canal trembling while the gunfire was going on. He said the next few moments felt like eternity. Then the shooting stopped.

CCTV footage from the scene eventually showed that from the gunmen’s casual arrival, to the firing, and their systematic departure, it was over in less than a minute.

Tepace said he saw the vehicles leaving in haste after the gunmen shot a volley of fire into the air; while the sound of bawling and screaming could be heard from inside the compound.

He then decided to continue hiding in the canal a little longer, uncertain if it was the better thing to do. He said he wanted to get up and start capturing the scene on video but his body started to feel so weak, he could hardly move his arms and legs. And his camera had also broken into pieces after it fell into the canal with him.

He saw vehicles leaving the Degamo compound carrying the injured to the hospital but he remained in his hiding place.

After about 15 minutes, which again seemed like forever, he heard the unmistakable siren of a police car. Tepace looked and saw the words “Pamplona Police” and that was when he came out. He then started taking videos of the crime scene, before realizing that his hands and knees were swollen from jumping into the canal.

But at least, he consoled himself, he just feels grateful he is alive. “Now my friends tell me that smoking does not kill—that day, it saved my life.” *

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