Storeowner's killer surrenders to DSWD

CEBU, Philippines – The underage suspect in the killing of a storeowner in sitio Highway Tagunol, Barangay Basak-San Nicolas, voluntarily surrendered to the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 last Sunday evening.

The suspect was a 16-year-old resident of Tagunol, Basak-San Nicolas.

Rosalio Ando, chief tanod of Barangay Basak-San Nicolas said they received information that the young man was the one who stabbed store owner Ernesto Ceballos Ricablanca, 43, Sunday noon.

Ricablanca, who was stabbed in the chest, did not survive the attack.

Yesterday morning, Ando and some of the officials of Barangay Basak-San Nicolas went to the DSWD office to verify the information they received.

There they questioned the boy who told them that it was not his intention to kill Ricablanca nor was it true that he robbed the victim before running away.

The boy said that before the incident occurred, he went to the store of Ricablanca to buy a pair of slippers. The said slipper cost P30. The boy said that he paid Ricablanca a P500 bill but when he asked for his change, Ricablanca refused to give it to him.

The boy alleged that Ricablanca tried to choke him but he managed to free himself. He then ran home and returned with a 12-inch knife.

When he went back to the store to ask again for his change, Ricablanca allegedly pointed his finger at the boy's forehead. The boy, lost his cool and stabbed Ricablanca directly in the chest.

The boy said that after he stabbed Ricablanca he ran away to Quiot, Pardo, where he met a nun who helped him after he confessed to the crime. The said nun handed him P600 and told him to surrender himself to the DSWD.

But Ando said that they are not certain as to who brought the boy to the DSWD. They also do not have the identity of the nun the boy mentioned.

Ando, along with a social worker, turned over the boy to the police yesterday morning.

The store of Ricablanca was estimated to be 50 meters away from the house where the boy lived with his aunt while his father and mother were in Talisay City selling toys.

The boy also said that when he was just seven years-old, Ricablanca also refused to hand over the change for a purchase he made with a P50 peso bill. He said he never forgot that incident because when he got home his father got mad at him for failing to return with the change. (FREEMAN)