By GMA Integrated News
The man who admitted to killing seven fellow bakers in Antipolo City, Rizal surrendered to police on Tuesday, claiming the victims were planning to murder him.
In Mark Salazar’s Tuesday report on “24 Oras,” police found the victims’ bodies with stab wounds inside a bakery in Barangay Cupang before 8 a.m.
Two of the seven fatalities were minors.
“There was somebody calling for help since 11 p.m. pero nobody heeded nung umaga na lang nakarating sa sitio chairman at rescue naabutan pa nila na may buhay pa yun hanggang doon na bawian ng buhay sa ambulance,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Manongdo, Antipolo City police chief.
(There was somebody calling for help since 11 p.m., but nobody heeded. The sitio chairman and rescue team only arrived in the morning and found some of the victims alive, but they passed away in the ambulance.)
The suspect was identified to be a co-owner of the bakery. He surrendered to police at Camp Crame at around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
“Kasi wala naman ako mapuntahan kung maglayas naman ako ganun din naman mahuli din ako kaya sumuko na lang ako pag alis ko dun sa gawaan pumunta na ako sa Crame,” the suspect said.
(I have nowhere to go. If I escape, I’m just going to be arrested, so I decided to surrender at Camp Crame after I left the bakery.)
According to the suspect, one of the victims is the master baker and his business partner, who allegedly wanted to keep the bakery to himself.
“Pinagbantaan kasi nila ako na papatayin nila ako gamit yung unan para pagdating ng asawa ko bukas papalabasin nilang binangungot ako. Narinig ko nag usap sila dalawa kasi kami magka sosyo sa bakery tapos lahat ng trabahante namin halos lahat kamag anak niya kumbaga pinagka isahan nila ako. Kung mapatay ako sa kanya na mapunta ang business namin kaya inunahan ko na sila,” the suspect said.
(They threatened to kill me using a pillow so that my wife would think I died in my sleep. I heard two of them talking and almost all of the bakers are relatives. If I died, the business will go to him, so I killed them first.)
The suspect treated his co-workers to a drinking session since it was his birthday, but he had a feeling they would kill him after he got drunk, so after the session, he killed them during lights out.
“Lahat sila sumugod sila sa akin, lumaban sila sa akin kaso lang wala silang kutsilyo, ako lang may kutsilyo. Hindi naman sila makatama kasi madilim walang ilaw lumalapit sila sa akin, niyayakap nila ako syempre ako ang makasaksak,” the suspect said.
(All of them attacked me, fought me, but they had no weapons. I was the only one who had a knife. They failed to hurt me since it was dark despite, they couldn’t hold me but I was able to stab them.)
However, the police doubted the suspect’s story since they claimed the anger was too deep for what they say is a shallow reason, and the fact that the suspect remained unharmed despite fighting against seven persons.
“Hindi kami makukuntento dun na siya lang ang salarin. Possibly may kasamahan din siya titingnan natin yan. Hindi na tayo makuntento sa version mismo ng suspek kundi ano ba masasabi ng ebidensya na magagather natin,” said Police Colonel Felipe Maraggun, PNP Rizal provincial director.
(We are not satisfied with his claim that he’s the only suspect. It’s possible he had an accomplice. We will look into the evidence that we will gather.)
The victims’ remains are undergoing autopsy while investigators are looking for CCTV footage that may help with their probe. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
