CEBU, Philippines - A 45-year-old father allegedly killed his 13-year-old son in Barangay Camp 4, Talisay City last June 7.
The suspect (name withheld) was arrested by the police last Wednesday afternoon after his 38-year-old live-in partner reported the incident to the Talisay City Police Station.
The body of the boy remains missing as of yesterday.
Supt. Elmer Lim, officer-in-charge of the Talisay City Police Station, sent Senior Insp. Allan Cuizon together with SPO1 Arlan Carillo, PO3 Darwin Gonzales and PO2 Christopher Cesa to conduct a search and retrieval operation.
Barangay Captain Luciano Cabingatan Jr. with his tanods and some residents of the place also helped the police but they all failed to locate the body.
The two children of the suspect, aged 11 and 9, told the police that they peeped through the hole on the wall of their house and they saw their father beat and stab their brother.
Their father allegedly came home late and threatened to kill his son.
The two children told their elder brother to run because their father will kill him but the victim told his siblings that he will wait for their mother to come home.
The suspect allegedly got a knife and attacked the victim to death.
After killing his son, the suspect allegedly covered the victim's body with clothes, placed him in a sack and went to the hilly portion of their place.
The mother of the victim told reporters yesterday that when the incident happened, she and her six-year-old son were in Tabunok selling banana fruits.
She left her other children with their father. The victim was the second of seven siblings.
She said that their two children did not inform her about the incident because their father threatened that if they do so, he is going to behead them and their mother.
Their house is about 200 meters away from the main road but is located on the upland area and they have no neighbors.
The police found traces of blood about 15 meters away from their house and a stone with blood stains was submitted to the PNP Crime Laboratory for examination.
Cabingatan said that he was not aware of the incident and only learned about it after the suspect was arrested by the police.
The village chief said the suspect is hardworking and has no conflict with other residents in the barangay.
But the live-in partner said the suspect maltreats her and the children every time he gets drunk.
The suspect is reportedly not in good terms with his son because he finds the boy lazy.
But the suspect denied the allegation saying he just hit his son for being disobedient.
He said he will only own up to the crime if the police find his body near their place.
The police will further interrogate the suspect and conduct another search and retrieval operation. (FREEMAN)