One dead, 7 hurt in dawn Mass attacks

A 17-year-old boy was stabbed dead while seven other minors were injured by a pillbox bomb thrown at them in separate Simbang Gabi-related incidents yesterday in Valenzuela and Caloocan, respectively.

SPO4 Henry Marteja, officer-in-charge of the Valenzuela police Station Investigation Bureau (SIB), identified the fatality as Ericson Florentino, of 13 Lower Tamaraw Hills, Marulas, Valenzuela City. The victim’s father, Nelson, a businessman, who last saw his son at 7 p.m. Tuesday, said his son was a God-fearing boy and had no known enemies.

Senior Inspector Filemon Porciuncula Jr. Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) medico-legal officer who autopsied the victim, said the young Florentino sustained five stab wounds two of which were fatal. The weapon used by the still unidentified assailants was a "tres cantos" (a triangular file turned into a bladed weapon). The fatal thrusts included those that fractured a bone in the chest and severed the pulmonary artery and one that pierced the right lung. He added that he found about a liter of blood and clots in the abdominal cavity.

Reports showed Ericson was with a group of friends walking on the way home at around 5:30 a.m. yesterday after attending the dawn mass when four male persons, for undetermined reasons, allegedly started pelting the group with rocks. The group then ran to get out of harm’s way. Florentino, however, lagged behind and soon the suspects caught up with him. One of the suspects identified only as alias "Ka Andong" then stabbed him several times. He was declared dead on arrival at the Fatima General Hospital.

In Caloocan, Inspector Redulfin Coloma reported that at around 4:50 yesterday morning inside the premises of the San Roque Cathedral along Mabini street just across the Caloocan City Hall, a 17-year-old suspect of C. Apostol street hurled an improvised explosive device resulting in the wounding of seven churchgoers identified as Elix Orone, Janno Carlo Obrero, Raymond Manansala, Christian Arroyo, Allan Paule, Zaldy Enriquez and Edwin Bacani. All sustained abrasions, contusions and wounds in different parts of the body and were treated at the Ospital ng Caloocan.

The suspect was nearly lynched to death by irate bystanders as he was seen running away after the explosion. He was arrested by PO3 Charles Padilla and detained at the city hall detachment jail as appropriate charges are being readied against him, police said.