Friday, August 15, 2008 Couple robbed, hacked to death By Mia E. Abellana & Katrina A. Balmaceda Of Sun.Star Cebu
A COUPLE was hacked in their sleep while their 10-year-old grandson managed to wake up and escape Wednesday night.
The incident happened in Sitio Mojon, Barangay Udlot, Bogo City, a remote mountain village some seven kilometers away from the city proper.
Roger Frias, 10, said he was awakened when somebody hacked him in the head, just above the nape.
Though wounded, he got up and ran to the window to escape.
As he ran, he heard his grandfather Rodolfo Frias, 68, shout for help. His grandmother Adelaida, 83, made no sound.
Police are hoping Roger will be able to lead them to those responsible. He is confined at the city hospital but is reportedly still in shock.
Meanwhile, an 18-year-old boy accused his father of trying to kill his mother and grandmother last Monday.
Mikhail Echavez, a fourth year high school student, said he defended his mother Miraluna and his grandmother Gloria against his father Franklin’s attacks on the night of August 11.
Both Mikhail and Gloria said that about 11:30 p.m. inside their house, they heard Miraluna scream, “Mommy, I’ve been stabbed, help me!”
Gloria reached Miraluna first. Miraluna and Franklin were in the dining room, arguing with each other.
Gloria said she saw her son stabbing her daughter-in-law with a kitchen knife.
When she shouted at her son, asking him to stop, he allegedly turned his ire on her and stabbed her chest.
That was when Mikhail arrived in the dining room. In his affidavit, Mikhail said he kicked his father and struck him with a steel chair when the latter attempted to stand up.
Gloria, Miraluna, Mikhail and his younger sister then reportedly rushed outside, with Franklin at their heels. They ran outside the gate of their house.
Fallen
Gloria tried to lock the gate but Franklin allegedly pushed it, causing Gloria to fall. Franklin then punched his mother.
Mikhail added that his father continued chasing them until he caught up. Franklin reportedly strangled his wife Miraluna.
In his mother’s defense, Mikhail hit back.
“Sensing the danger perpetrated by my father, I took a stone and struck (his) head,” Mikhail’s affidavit read.
Mikhail also said that when his father regained consciousness and strangled his mother again, he again struck his father with a stone until Franklin lost consciousness.
Police and medical personnel arrived on the scene, bringing Miraluna and Gloria to the hospital.
Franklin was also brought to a hospital, though also placed under arrest.
Cebu City prosecutor Simaco Labata approved the filing of two counts of frustrated parricide against Franklin yesterday, setting a bail of P200,000 for each count.
In the Bogo hacking, Roger told police that he was not sure how many people were behind it or who they were, saying it was too dark to see.
There is no electricity in the area and most of the residents were already asleep at that hour. It was also raining that night.
Also, the next neighbor lived about half a kilometer away.
Roger ran to his parent’s house and sought assistance. After they took care of his wound, they went back to the house to see Rodolfo and Adelaida dead, with several wounds.
It was then that they reported the incident to the city police. They received the alarm past 1 a.m. yesterday.
PO3 Allan Dosdos of the Bogo City Police Station said Rodolfo’s head was nearly severed and that wounds in his hands and arms showed he struggled with his attackers.
Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria said robbery is seen as the motive for the killing because the couple reportedly sold P20,000 worth of cattle the day before.
Missing
A bag containing the cash and some pieces of jewelry was missing from their house.
Dosdos said that the couple was known to lend money to needy neighbors.
Though they were senior citizens, they were still reportedly strong enough to go around and work on a farm and tend to livestock.
Except for the missing bag and the bodies still untouched, the rest of the house was in order.
Asked if those behind the robbery could have been familiar with the family because they knew where to find the items, Valmoria said they were considering this possibility.
Bogo City Police Station Chief Tito Saterra created a task force yesterday, as they have decided to make the case their top priority.
Dosdos said they will give Roger time to recover before they ask him again to recall anything that might be helpful to the investigation.
