Bloody Christmas: 7 dead in Camanava, 5 in Manila

Seven persons were either stabbed or shot dead in Caloocan and Valenzuela on separate occasions right on Christmas Day even as two more bodies were found dead in Valenzuela, authorities reported yesterday.

In Caloocan City, Renato Barcelona, 29, of Libis Espina street, was shot dead for no reason with a homemade shotgun at around 3 a.m. last Sunday. Hurt in the same incident was Thelma Balbarino, 52, who was grazed by shotgun pellets in the forehead.

Barcelona was rushed by his family to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila, but succumbed to gunshot wounds in the forehead and was declared dead on arrival by attending physician Rodney Pamero.

Balbarino has since been discharged from the hospital after treatment of her injuries.

PO3 Joel Montebon, officer-on-case, identified the suspect as Rolando Acosta Jr., of 6423 Libis Nadurata, Caloocan City. He remains at large.

At 4:30 a.m., police found a dying Joverlee Batoy, 21, a helper, sprawled bloodied on the sidewalk along Samson Road corner Pio Valenzuela street in Caloocan City.

PO3 Joel Aquino said PO3 Vicleo Yap and PO2 Benjamin Lim of mobile patrol car 122 responded to reported trouble at the area.

They found the victim with multiple stab wounds in the head and body and rushed him to the nearby President Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Medical Center on Mabini street. Batoy was declared dead on arrival due to severe loss of blood by Dr. Carlos Antonio Bautista.

Aquino said six unidentified suspects ganged up on Batoy for still undetermined reasons.

In the third incident, SPO2 Roland Mendoza reported that Roel Gaso, 27, a truck helper, was stabbed once in the chest by neighbor Bryan Quintero in front of the victim’s residence at around 8 p.m.

Gaso’s wife Gloria, 22, was also stabbed by another suspect when she tried to protect her husband as he was attacked.

Mendoza said Gaso was killed because of an old grudge Quintero nursed against Gaso’s brother-in-law.

Gaso was declared dead on arrival at 8:14 p.m. at the PDMMMC.

At 10 p.m., construction worker Ishid John Eamas, 21, was ganged upon by a group led by a minor.

Eamas died at the Ospital ng Tondo.

PO2 Arnel de Guzman said the suspect, accompanied by his mother, a barangay tanod in their neighborhood, later voluntarily surrendered to the police.

In Valenzuela City, PO3 Armando Delima said Noel Garay, 26, factory worker, was shot dead by still unidentified suspects at 9:36 p.m.

Investigation showed the victim was walking home when the suspects, armed with unknown handguns, shot Garay once in the body.

Still in Valenzuela, the body of Jerson Orillano, 57, City Hall eco-aide, was found by barangay tanod Francisco Ricodo Balila at around 6:50 p.m. yesterday.

PO3 Edwin Malaay said Orillano sustained a gunshot wound in the chin and on the left back side.

Earlier, on Christmas Day, SPO2 Angeles Miranda reported that the body of Jerry Labindao, 28, was found in front of a house in Sitio Libis Kabatuhan, Barangay Gen. T. de Leon. Labindao sustained multiple stab wounds in the body.

Violent night

In Manila, five persons were killed and another seriously injured in various incidents due to drunkenness, records gathered from the Homicide section of the Manila Police District showed.

The first incident of violence was reported on Christmas Eve when two groups of drunk merrymakers figured in a rumble in a Tondo neighborhood.

When both groups were pacified, Andrew Soria, 37, a jeepney driver, was declared dead on spot due to multiple stab wounds. The alleged suspect, Jeff Beck Isla, 23, was rushed to the Mary Johnston Hospital for gunshot wounds.

Minutes later, a victim of stabbing and clubbing was rushed to the Ospital ng Maynila after a drinking spree with neighbors. Police said Antonio Baylon, 47, a caretaker of a house in Taft Avenue, succumbed to his wounds while undergoing treatment. No suspect was arrested.

In Sampaloc, neighbors discovered the dead body of Daniel Afable, 45, a businessman, inside his room. He sustained three stab wounds in the body. Neighbors said the victim came home alone and drunk, and heard sounds of struggle inside his room before his body was discovered.

In Isla Puting Bato, Tondo, two brothers are being hunted for the death of their neighbor after a drinking bout. Police said Michael Rosendal, 29, and his brother Junior ganged up and stabbed Hermel Paleg, 27, following an altercation over a woman. The victim succumbed to his stab wounds at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Hospital while being treated.

Early yesterday morning, the body of Engelbert Martir, 35, a security guard at the Bread and Butter Condominium along Singalong was found dead at the ground floor of the building. Witnesses told police they earlier saw the victim drinking with two men on Christmas night. – With Nestor Etolle