‘Bully’ faces raps for boy’s murder

MANILA, Philippines - A 23-year-old man was charged with murder yesterday for allegedly helping an 11-year-old boy “bully” and drown a nine-year-old boy last week.

City police chief Senior Superintendent Tomas Apolinario said John Paulo Escalana, who was charged before the city prosecutor’s office, remains at large.

According to a witness, the victim and his playmate were playing at construction site in Barangay Fort Bonifacio on Oct. 28 when Escalana and the 11-year-old arrived and tried to extort money from the victim. 

When the victim refused, the suspects chased him until they reached an excavation area. His playmate, meanwhile, escaped and went home. The three engaged in a brief fistfight until Escalana allegedly got hold of the victim and stuck a yellow PVC pipe on the victim’s head.

Apolinario said the pipe was wide enough to cover the victim’s head and neck.

Escalana then pushed the victim into the excavation, believed to be seven to 10 feet deep, which was filled with rainwater. “And then the suspects left him to drown,” Apolinario said.

The victim’s body was discovered two days later, when his playmate found out that he had not gone home since Oct. 28. 

The playmate told their parents what happened at the construction site, and the latter asked the police to find the missing boy. The victim’s bloated body was fished out of the excavation site.

The 11-year-old was invited by the police for investigation but was later released. Under the law, minors under 15 years old have no criminal liability.