Friday, October 20, 2006 Man beats up ex-GF for spurring reconciliation
USING a crowbar, a baker beat up his partner in Balamban, Cebu yesterday after she refused to get back together with him. He also attacked her mother and cousin.
Anecito Pañares Abar-quez, 36, was arrested in Barangay Cansumoroy, Balamban past 1 a.m. yesterday after allegedly attacking Epefania Saballa Bais, 25, in her house in Sitio Ibo, Barangay Pundol.
Epefania’s mother Balbona, 69, and her cousin Alejandro Fajardo, 24, also suffered head injuries.
Bais told Sun.Star Cebu in a telephone interview that she was asleep in the house when Abarquez allegedly broke in and attacked them.
Fajardo was hit first, but he was able to run outside the house.
After Fajardo slipped out, Abarquez turned his ire on Epefania.
Epefania, who is separated from her first husband, said she tried to parry Abarquez’s attacks until she was able to run away. Abarquez then allegedly hit Balbona in the head several times.
“Di na gyud intawon siya kasturya. Magsige nalang og agoo (She can’t talk now. She keeps moaning in pain),” Epefania said. She said her mother’s forehead had been smashed in.
After the attack, he allegedly called up the police and informed them that a family had been beaten up badly and then fled.
But Epefania said she recognized him because he wore the fatigue jacket that she gave him. She told police he was behind the attack.
When police went to check his house, they found a crowbar, two T-shirts and a fatigue jacket with bloodstains.
He was immediately arrested.
The three wounded were taken to the Balam-ban District Hospital. Balbona was transferred to another hospital in Cebu City because her injuries were more serious.
Police are preparing a frustrated murder charge against Abarquez. Epefania said she will pursue the case against Abarquez. Epefania and Abarquez, a widower, moved in together last December. He worked as baker near the Tsuneishi shipyard.
Epefania said she broke up with Abar-quez last month because he maltreated her four-year-old son from her first marriage. Asked if he did this when he got drunk, Epefania said he doesn’t drink.
“Sakit kaayo para nako kay magdugo na ang dung-gan sa akong anak unya manglakra ang iyang kuko (My son’s ears would bleed. Abarquez’s nails would leave marks on my son’s skin),” Epefania said, adding that this often happened when she was not around.
Because of this, her son reportedly did not want to live with her anymore and asked to stay with his father.
She also could not understand why he would involve her mother and cousin.
Epefania said it was her decision to leave him and that her family did not have a hand in it.
“Luoy intawon kaayo akong mama, uy. Niwang kaayo, dili na kalaban (I pity my mother. She’s become so thin she couldn’t help me),” she said.
She said her father and siblings did not know what happened to Balbona yet because they were in the mountains working on their farm. (MEA)
