By: Jennifer P. Rendon
THE stab-riddled body of a construction worker was found morning of July 14, 2018 at their workplace in Lambunao, Iloilo.
Police investigators believed that Dominador Galilea Jr., who was also known as Rommel Aron, 37, of Barangay Tampucao, Lambunao, had been dead for several hours already when his body was discovered at 8 a.m. Sunday.
Galilea was a laborer at Harvester Christian Academy at Barangay Maite Pequiño, Lambunao.
Police Staff Sergeant Jessie Fusin, Lambunao police investigator, said the victim’s body was found by his engineer in one of the rooms of the building they are constructing.
Galilea sustained three stab injuries on his body and one on the back. He had shallow stab wounds on the side of the body.
It appeared that his head was fractured after it was struck by a hard object. His face was also injured.
Immediately after the incident was reported, police ran after Galilea’s two co-workers.
They were identified as Renato Catedrilla, 50, of Barangay Coto, Lambunao and Romel Castor of Catipunan, Tapaz, Capiz.
Just like the victim, Catedrilla was also a stay-in worker who was tasked to secure construction materials in the site while Castor is a welder.
Witnesses believed that the three bought two bottles of whisky the night before Galilea was found dead.
It wasn’t long before police collared Catedrilla at his aunt’s house.
“We just told him to go back at the construction site but he was already defensive. Without us telling him what happened, he told us he has no knowledge and has nothing to do with the incident,” Fusin said.
Castor remains at-large as of this writing.
Fusin believed that the three had a misunderstanding and erupted into something violent since all of them were under the influence of liquor.
He believed that Catedrilla could have harbored ill feelings with his co-workers for being bullied.
Catedrilla, it was gathered, has cleft lip, that might have elicited the bullying.
“But we’re still digging deeper into the case,” Fusin said.
In the meantime, Catedrilla remains in detention at Lambunao Police Station. (Photo Courtesy of Lambunao MPS)
