By Jennifer P. Rendon
Jealousy further fueled by liquor allegedly drove a 30-year-old man to shoot his live-in partner and a barangay tanod inside a quarantine facility in Oton, Iloilo early morning of February 26, 2021.
Armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, suspect Melchor Amigable, 33, of Barangay Mambog, Oton, stormed the barangay hall where his common-law wife, 27-year-old Mylene Peronce, was quarantined days after arriving from Manila, where she stayed for a week upon arriving from abroad.
Witnesses said they heard gunshots around 2:50PM of Friday.
It was believed that Amigable first shot Noli Legada, 55, the tanod who was securing the daycare center that was converted into a quarantine facility of returning overseas workers and locally-stranded individuals.
Amicable, who works as utility personnel at Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital, had forcibly opened the door where Peronce was sleeping.
Another gunshot was heard moments later. This time, the shot was aimed at Peronce.
Before shooting his live-in partner, reports said the suspect rummaged through her things and took her money, jewelry, and mobile phone.
Legada instantly died while Peronce was brought by responding members of the Oton Search and Rescue Team (OSART) to the hospital.
Amigable immediately fled bringing with him the firearm used in committing the crime.
Police recovered two empty shells of 12-gauge shotgun at the scene of the incident.
ARRESTED
In a hot pursuit operation, members of Oton Police Station arrested Amigable 11:20 a.m. of Friday at Sitio Naga, Barangay Lambuyao, Oton.
A remorseful Amigable said that it was not his plan to shoot Peronce, more so to kill Legada.
“I was just carried away by my emotions,” he said in vernacular. “Maybe because I love her so much.”
The couple has two daughters – a Grade 5 and a Grade 3 pupil – who are now staying at Amigable’s parents.
They’ve been living together for 11 years when Peronce was just 16 years old. They failed to get married until their relationship went sour.
Almost three years ago, Peronce worked abroad. But the suspect claimed he’s been hearing rumors that she found another man.
In fact, he saw a picture of her with another man taken at Rizal Park.
The man was allegedly from San Joaquin, Iloilo. He even made Peronce’s photo as his Facebook account’s profile picture, Amigable noted.
Peronce and even the man allegedly blocked him on Facebook.
Amigable also asked forgiveness from the families of his victims. He later shed tears as he talked about the future of his kids.
He also denied taking any of his partner’s valuables.
He said he just wanted to see her mobile phone to confirm his hunch about her having another man.
JEALOUS MAN
Neighbors and village official have attested to how jealous of a man Amigable was.
He was frequently summoned by the barangay council for complaints of physically assaulting Peronce.
The woman’s father, Jose Josie Peronce, described the suspect as a cruel and violent man, especially when he is drunk.
When Peronce worked abroad, Amigable’s jealousy did not wane. They also fought over the phone, as he’s been accusing the woman of having another man.
Even the victim had earlier said that she had long wanted to leave Amigable.
This might have been the turning point for the suspect to get even more violent that may have led to the gun attack.
Meanwhile, village officials claimed that Amigable was basically a “good man.” However, his behavior changes when he is jealous or under the influence of liquor.
LATE RESPONSE?
There were reports that it took a while for Oton Police Station to respond to the shooting.
Barangay Captain Vanessa Salinas said they called Oton Search and Rescue Team (OSART) to respond to the incident and asked the group to inform the police station about what happened.
But OSART mentioned the protocol being followed by Oton Police Station, but the police did not immediately show up at the crime scene.
When Salinas checked why the police failed to readily respond, an officer allegedly claimed that they should have called the landline number as their mobile phone has no ringtone.
Based on the spot report of Oton Police Station, the incident happened 2:59AM.
At 3:32AM, a certain Niel Gaylan personally informed the station about the shooting incident.
Police Staff Sergeant Johannes Sorongon and Corporal Chum Jon Cham responded to the scene.
But when they arrived, OSART personnel already took Peronce to the hospital while Legada’s body was sprawled on the barangay hall’s second floor.
Following the complaint, Colonel Gilbert Gorero, Iloilo police chief, said he would compel Oton PNP to answer the allegations against them.
It was gathered that Oton Police Station is also working on a 50% workforce capacity, as the other half of the personnel underwent swab extraction for Covid-19 testing.
