By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – Police arrested three minors who reportedly stabbed a school watchman to death during a “tripping” incident at Purok Kalubihan, Barangay Rizal, Silay City, Negros Occidental, early Tuesday.
The victim was identified as 49-year-old Abner Lanonsia, a resident of the same village.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Anthony Darroca, the city police chief, said the victim was driving his tricycle to work around 2:30 a.m. when he was flagged down by the three minors, whose names have been withheld.
Darroca said the victim allowed the minors to ride his tricycle, but one of them allegedly tried to rob his cellphone, which led to a commotion.
The victim resisted, and one of the suspects, a 17-year-old boy, allegedly stabbed him in the chest. The group then fled, including the 17-year-old boy’s girlfriend and her 14-year-old brother.
The victim managed to run and seek help from his brother, who lived nearby. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Darroca reported that the two siblings were arrested by police an hour later after they emerged from a sugarcane field.
The other suspect was apprehended two hours later while hiding in the same area.
According to Darroca, the minors reportedly came from a river and encountered the victim while walking toward the highway.
He believed the suspects committed the offense out of “tripping.”
Darroca added that these minors were part of a dysfunctional family, which might have influenced their behavior.
Authorities are waiting for a discernment order from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) before filing homicide charges against the teenage couple.
Darroca also noted that the teenage girl had recently fled from a shelter for girls.
