Jeepney driver killed, another injured in Quezon City stabbing

MANILA, Philippines — What started as a neighborly poker game in West Fairview in Quezon City Wednesday night turned deadly for a jeepney driver, who was stabbed by members of his opponent’s family in a free-for-all following an argument between the two men, police said.

Rolly Napay, 42, died while being treated at the FEU Hospital where he was rushed by neighbors following the stabbing at the house of his poker opponent, Jonel Castil, 32, police said. Castil’s father, Samuel, 56, a taxi driver, was himself confined at the same hospital with a stab wound in the belly allegedly inflicted by Napay.

Case investigator Police Officer 2  Rhic Pittong said the stabbing began with a poker game between Napay and Castil, a delivery man, just outside the Castils’ home on Urlina Street in Barangay (village) West Fairview at around 6 p.m. Napay lived on the same street.

In the middle of the card game, the two men lost their tempers for unknown reasons, prompting  Castil to hit Napay with a plastic chair. Napay was able to run away after a couple of blows and grabbed a kitchen knife from his house.

Startled, Castil ran inside his own house and  Napay chased him inside, destroying a window screen  in the process.

Castil’s father, seeing what was happening came to his son’s defense and tried to hit Napay with a length of wood.

“But the victim was too fast for Samuel; Napay was able to stab him in the abdomen. The three younger Castils saw this and rushed to their father’s aid,” Pittong said.

Jonel Castil managed to grab Napay’s knife and stabbed him in the belly. Although wounded, Napay ran out of the house but  was cornered by Castil and his two brothers, Jeffrey, 24, and Jamuel, 16, who stabbed him some more until he fell, Pittong said.

The uninjured Castils fled while neighbors rushed the two wounded men to the hospital, where Napay expired around 9 p.m., according to Pittong.