DAVAO CITY –— The family of Arnold Masamloc, the singer who was found dead along Matanao river on October 23 wants justice after the autopsy report showed he died not due to drowning incident but due to what the police claimed he jumped from the bridge on the night of October 22.
From the start, the family suspected a foul play, a reason why they insisted to have the body autopsied.
On October 30, Dr. Galvez, the medico-legal of the Philippine national Police Crime Laboratory, told the family that she did not found water on Masamloc’s lungs ruling out drowning as cause of his death..
Masamloc, who was once featured in a national singing contest was found dead with bruises all over his body, but the initial police report from Bansalan, Davao del Sur police indicated he drowed due to the strong current of water in Matanao River which reportedly flooded that night. The Matanao river is the boundary between the towns of Magsaysay and Bansalan.
The police and the family agreed to do an autopsy as the Mabama Hospital in Bansalan refused to issue a death certificate indicating he died due to drowning incident because they found contusions, blisters and bruises in various parts of his body. A claimed which was substantiated by the autopsy result.
Police Colonel Guiseppe A. Geralde, provincial police director of Davao del Sur in an interview with Newsline said “The autopsy report indicated that Arnold Masamloc did not die of drowing but due to the wounds and fractures he sustained when he fell or jumed from the bridge, meaning he was alive when the bridge incident happened.”
The police, has yet to establish if Masamloc “Jumped from the bridge or somebody pushed him, which caused his death,” Geralde explailed “I ordered the Bansalan police to dig deeper and look for witnesses so we can established what really happened and if he was murdered- we will know who is the culprit is so that justice will be served.”
The Newsline team visited the Matanao River and found out that the water of the river is too shallow to cause his death and the bridge height cannot even cause death. Residents in the area also told Newsline “Og nahulog mapiang lang to, pero dili mamatay kay mobu ra ang tulay (If he fell from the bridge it could juyst cause him fracture, it will not cause his death because the bridge is low).
Masamloc was last seen alive by a barangay Tanod from Barangay Kasuga in Magsaysay town evening of October 22.
Mary Joy Pandi, Malamloc’s common law wife earlier revealed that a barangay tanod told her that he confronted the victim because he was moving in and out a place but justified his move to do personel necessity.
Pandi also admitted that her partner was once jailed after he eas caught red-handed selling a stolen ornamental plants in 2021 but “The owner of the plants forgive him, that is why the case was dismissed by the court, she added.-Editha Z. Caduaya
