Tondo man kills father, 80, over van

An argument over the family vehicle led to the killing of an 80-year-old man by his own son in Tondo, Manila, Wednesday morning.

Jose Alonzo of Juan Luna Street died of head injuries at the hospital, 13 hours after an altercation at the family residence with his eldest child, Anthony, 52. The younger Alonzo allegedly pushed his father, causing the latter to lose his footing and hit his head on the floor.

Alerted by his mother, Elisa, and his siblings, the Manila Police District arrested Anthony, a seaman, on charges of parricide.

Police Officer 3 Jupiter Tajonera of the MPD homicide section said father and son had a heated argument over an L-300 van that the family used in their silkscreen printing business.

Tajonera said the incident started around 7 p.m. Tuesday at the second floor of the Alonzo family’s five-story home, when the seaman barged into his parents’ room to confront them as they were having dinner.

“He (the younger Alonzo) complained that he was always the one spending for the van’s repair, with nobody else in their family sharing in the maintenance expenses. He was complaining to his parents how unfair it was since other members of the family could freely use vehicle while he himself had rarely used it,” the investigator said, citing the statement of the widow, Elisa, 78.

The complaint enraged the octogenarian, until the argument got physical.