"Disturbed" mother kills own kid

CEBU, Philippines - A woman, who is allegedly suffering from nervous breakdown, killed her 3-year-old child in their house in Sitio Kamang-kamang, Barangay Ocaña Carcar City early morning yesterday.

PO2 Rowena Santillan of the Carcar City Police Station women’s desk, refused to give the child’s name but identified the mother as Veronica Alcontin, 41, married, resident of the place.

The police said that at around 8 a.m., they received a call from a barangay tanod of Ocaña informing them of the incident. The informant said the neighbors of Alcontin were the ones who sought assistance.

SPO1 Rolando Bastida, PO2 Christopher Mendaros and PO2 Paulino Sanchez were immediately dispatched to the area to respond.

Upon arrival of the police officers, they allegedly saw the child placed outside the room of Veronica.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspect wrapped her child in a bed sheet and inserted it into her t-shirt to make it appear that she is pregnant.

The suspect’s other child, identified as Armando, told the police officers that their mother kept on saying that somebody would take her child that’s why she kept the latter in her t-shirt.

“Ingon si Armando nako nga sige kuno ug ingon iyang mama nga iyang pakan-on ang iyang anak,” PO2 Santillan said.

Armando added that his younger sibling was complaining that he cannot breathe but still the suspect did not listen.

Moments later, Armando claimed he noticed that his younger sibling was no longer breathing.

Responding policemen brought the victim to Carcar District Hospital but the attending physician declared him already dead. The victim’s cadaver was later transferred to Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Carcar City subject for autopsy.

In a phone interview, Santillan said that the suspect suffers from nervous breakdown and added that at the time of the incident, her husband was working in Alcoy town.

The police officer said a case of parricide may be filed against Veronica but they are still waiting for the decision of the child’s father.

“Pero mura’g dili man to siya mo-file og kaso kay kahibaw naman siya nga gi-nervous breakdown iyang asawa,” Santillan said.

Santillan said that Veronica, who is now under the police custody, shouted at them that she wants to go home to feed her children. — Gabriel C. Bonjoc/WAB (THE FREEMAN)