Sibonga JO employee kills own father, arrested

CEBU, Philippines — A job order employee of the Department of Public and Services (DPS) was arrested for killing his 80-year-old father in Barangay Papan, Sibonga, Cebu Thursday afternoon.

The police identified the victim as Virgilio Quinto, Sr., a widower.

Police Chief Inspector Stephen Amamag-id of the Sibonga Police Station said that a barangay tanod reported to their station regarding a dead person found in their place.

The body was found in a secluded area about 100 meters away from the victim’s house covered with leaves and soil and already in a decomposing state.

Amamag-id said that as they conducted an initial investigation on the incident, several circumstances pointed to Virgilio Quinto Jr., 41, the victim’s son, as the perpetrator.

Since Tuesday, the victim’s relatives and neighbors started looking for the older Quinto as he already went missing since Sunday.

The suspect reportedly said that his father was in Mindanao visiting his other children.

The victim used to wake up early on Saturdays and usually goes to his farm to harvest.

Last Saturday, however, the victim’s regular buyer of his harvest wondered when he found the younger Quinto was the one who brought the proceeds.

“Kaning suspect, mao ra ni siya sa pito ka anak sa victim ang naa diri sa Cebu, ang uban naa sa Mindanao. Apan pag-check sa pag-umangkon didto sa Mindanao, wala man didto ang victim sa iyang mga anak,” said Amamag-id.

He also said that the suspect intentionally put a dead chicken in the area where the dead body of his father was found to avoid other people to wonder of the stench in the area.

“Iya pud daw ni gibabagan ang uban nga nangita sa iyang amahan nga muadto na unta sa lugar nga diin siya nakit-an kay lage iya na didto naadto og wala man didto ang iyang amahan,” Amamag-id added.

The said circumstances led the police to suspect the victim’s son who committed the crime.

“Nasuko daw ni ang suspect nga wala nisugot ang amahan nga iyang dugangan ang balor sa pagprenda sa ilang yuta. Daghan man daw ni og utang ang suspect.  Murag mao nga kinahanglan siya og kwarta para ibayad,” said Amamag-id.

The suspect reportedly owned up to the crime.

The suspect told the police that he shot his father on the head on Saturday dawn inside the latter’s house and immediately brought him to where he was found.

The wife of the suspect also told the police that she heard a gun burst on Saturday dawn but did not mind it.

The police found an unlicensed .357 revolver with one empty shell in a grassy area several meters away from the dead body of the victim.

The suspect is now temporarily detained at the Sibonga Police Station pending the filing of a parricide case against him.

Amamag-id said that the siblings of the suspect were determined to file a case against him after he allegedly threatened to kill them all if they will come home. — GAN (FREEMAN)