4 dead, 1 hurt in 3 Quezon City stabbings

MANILA, Philippines - Four people were killed while another was seriously injured in three separate stabbing incidents in Quezon City from Saturday night to early yesterday morning.

At around 8:30 p.m. the other night, Rudy Perandos, 40, a security guard, of Barangay Gulod, Novaliches was killed for still unknown reason.

Police have identified the suspect as Fernando Estileore, based on the victim’s dying declaration while undergoing surgery at the Quezon City General Hospital (QCGH).

Perandos’ wife told probers that her husband came home Saturday night and left without telling anyone where he was going.

He was later found with a stab wound in the abdomen, which prompted authorities to rush him to the Novaliches General Hospital. He was transferred to the QCGH, where he expired at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

More than an hour later, Miguel Placente, 51, of Insurance Street, Barangay Sangandaan, Novaliches, was also stabbed to death.

His companion, identified as Jose Gobalio, 49, was also hurt but survived the attack and is now undergoing treatment at the QCGH.

Police said the second incident happened at around 1:45 a.m. also along Insurance Street after Percival Torres, a carpenter, challenged the duo to a fight and stabbed them with a fan knife.

Investigators initially thought that the suspect fled the scene until they went back to the area to conduct an ocular inspection.

The suspect, already dead, was found in a dimly lit area nearby, still holding the bloodstained fan knife but with two stab wounds in the back and one in the abdomen.

Another four hours later, police said another stabbing claimed the life of Reynaldo Paner, 38, a storeowner in Lower Jasmin, Barangay Payatas.

His sister, Olita Felizarta, found his body in his home at around 6:10 a.m. Investigators have yet to identify a suspect but found that the victim was last seen at around 9 p.m. Saturday night with an unidentified male visitor.

Senior Police Officer 2 Jun Mortel of the Quezon City Police District–Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit said homicide probers are conducting follow-up investigations on all three stabbing incidents. – Michael Punongbayan