By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY—TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION OF SELF-HARM.
A father, suffering from a nervous breakdown, ended his life after hacking his four minor children and live-in partner at their house in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday night.
Police Captain Joelan Vinson, deputy chief of Kabankalan City Police Station, withheld the names of the 36-year-old suspect and the victims—his 36-year-old live-in partner, and children aged 1 year and 6 months (girl), 3 years (boy), and two girls aged 6 and 9.
Vinson said the family was preparing dinner around 6:30 p.m. when the head of the family allegedly became violent and attacked them with a bolo.
Vinson stated that the suspect’s 13-year-old son witnessed the incident, prompting him to hit his father with a yoke, locally known as “singkaw,” in the head to pacify him.
This allowed the wounded victims to leave their house and seek help from their neighbors, he added.
When barangay officials responded, they found the suspect with a stab wound in the stomach, having reportedly harmed himself when left alone at home.
The victims and the suspect were taken to the hospital, but the latter was declared dead, according to Vinson.
Vinson reported that the suspect’s live-in partner and three children suffered hack wounds to the nape, head, and shoulder and are confined in the hospital. The baby sustained scratches and was not admitted to the hospital, he added.
Vinson mentioned that the suspect would usually keep a bladed weapon with him because he believed someone might harm his family.
His family said they had him checked by an “albularyo” due to the changes in his behavior, the deputy chief added.
However, this was the first time the suspect became violent, as he had not been eating and sleeping regularly over the past few weeks, Vinson said.
The couple has seven children, but two of them, aged 16 and 19, were not at home when the incident occurred, according to Vinson.
