By Jennifer P. Rendon
A construction worker was found dead on the morning of June 30 in Lambunao, Iloilo. Jaypee Lego’s naked body was discovered on a feeder road in Poblacion Ilawod, Lambunao.
The victim, stripped of his clothes, had his shirt placed on top of his neck, and a piece of wood was found near his body.
Major Roy Tayona, Lambunao police chief, reported that Lego sustained stab injuries in his chest and stomach and had defense wounds on his arms.
Lego, a resident of Barangay Bagongbong, Lambunao, was a stay-in worker at a construction site located several meters from where his body was found.
Several hours after the incident, police took into custody a man identified as alias Ronaldo, a caretaker at the same construction site.
Ronaldo admitted that he, Lego, and Lego’s cousin, Ryan, had been drinking on Saturday afternoon. Ronaldo’s wife was also present.
Before 6 p.m., Lego allegedly left to visit a friend’s house, presumably for another round of drinking.
Ronaldo suggested that Lego could have been waylaid on his way back to the barracks. However, police investigators did not believe Ronaldo’s alibi.
“We have a witness who claimed to have seen Ronaldo striking the victim with a piece of wood,” Tayona said.
Police theorized that after drinking, Ronaldo caught Lego and his wife in a compromising situation. Naked, the victim might have hastily run away from the barracks but was caught by Ronaldo.
Tayona clarified that the witness only saw Ronaldo attacking Lego with a piece of wood and did not witness how the altercation began.
Following his arrest, Ronaldo denied any involvement in Lego’s death and offered to help in the investigation to identify the real perpetrator.
