‘Father was real target’

LUCENA, Quezon—Four family members, including two children, were murdered inside their house in Barangay Banabahin Ilaya, Lopez, on Thursday in an alleged vendetta killing directed against the father of the slain youngsters.

Police investigator Raul Paraiso identified the victims as sisters Teresita Osana, 56, and Victoria Osana, 40; and half-siblings Kim Zyrene Esquerra, 11, and Saint Jeric Osana, 6, a grandson of Teresita.

Their bloodied bodies, all bearing stab wounds, were found at about 8:45 a.m. by a carpenter who was about to start work in the house, Paraiso said.

He said the suspect or suspects may have fled on foot as neighbors did not notice any vehicle around the area at the time of the attack.

Business matter

Supt. Sergio Vivar, Lopez police chief, on Friday said Teresita’s son, Ricardo Osana, the father of Jeric and stepfather of Kim, may have been the target of the attack. However, Ricardo happened to be in Manila with his wife attending to their livestock business.

Police investigators said Ricardo has “lots of enemies” and that they were going through a list of possible suspects.

In a statement to police, Ricardo pointed to a certain “Oding” as the suspect, according to Paraiso.

Ricardo told the police that Oding had allegedly threatened him after the two had an altercation involving a business matter last December, Paraiso said.

Since then, Oding has been allegedly sending death threats through text messages to Ricardo and his business financier in Manila, Ricardo said.