FOUR men drank while they waited for two unlucky roosters that had fought and lost in an illegal cockfight to be turned into soup.
When they finally sat down to eat, Mark Maguard, the roosters’ owner, found out that his close friend Bonifacio Daligdig Traya had bet on the winning game fowls.
This incensed the 35-year-old poultry farm worker, who ran amok and started stabbing Bonifacio, 38; Bonifacio’s brother Johnny, 35; and their cousin Renante Traya Villarin, 32.
The incident happened in Purok 8, Barangay Bunga, Toledo City, Cebu, around 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 13, 2022, according to Staff Sergeant Joselito Genon, investigator of the Toledo City Police Station.
Genon said Manguard had entered four roosters in the illegal cockfight, but only two won.
"Pwerting kaon sa bihag ni Bonifacio. Nahibaw-an man niya (Maguard) nga nagsigeg katawa sa kontra diay mipusta. Sa iyang kalagot mikuha sa buwang gidungab" the policeman said.
(Bonifacio ate so much of the soup. Then Maguard discovered that Bonifacio, who was laughing heartily by then, had bet on the opposing game fowls. In his anger, he grabbed a sharp spur and stabbed Bonifacio.)
Johnny and Villarin tried to stop Maguard, but Maguard turned on them.
According to Genon, the suspect thought the three had conspired to bet on the opposing game fowls.
"Kini laging nangahubog na naligas sa estorya nabulilyaso sa kontra man diay mipusta. Nakabantay guro ning biktima nga dili maayo pagkagam mao sa pikas nipusta,” he said.
(They had gotten drunk and Bonifacio let it slip that he had bet on the opposing game fowls. Maybe he noticed that Maguard’s roosters weren’t well taken care of.)
Bonifacio suffered stab wounds in the forearm and different parts of the body, while Johnny and Villarin had cuts in their hands.
The three men were taken to the Toledo City Hospital for treatment.
Police are preparing to file a case for frustrated homicide against Maguard, who remains at large. (GPL, PJB)