MANILA, Philippines–A wood carver was killed while a security guard was wounded in Quezon City on Tuesday afternoon in a series of fights that involved six people—all because of a P500 bill.
Sonny Bellamas, 42, of Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon, died from a gunshot wound, while security guard Servillano Salomeo Jr. was hospitalized for a stab wound that the former inflicted using his chisel.
PO3 Erickson Isidro of the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) said the incident happened at around 3 p.m. Tuesday at the corner of Quirino Highway and P. Rivera streets in Barangay Baesa.
It all started when Bellamas and his brother Romeo went to a gas station to have a P500 bill changed into smaller bills. The cashier, Rebecca Calos, initially agreed but changed her mind when the siblings refused to be the first to hand the bill over the counter.
An argument between Calos and the brothers ensued, and it got worse when Calos’ live-in partner and coworker joined the fray, with a knife in hand. The live-in partner was not immediately identified by the police.
Salomeo, who worked as a security guard at a bank near the gas station, saw the commotion and decided to play peacekeeper. Seeing Salomeo carrying his service firearm as he approached, the Bellamas brothers turned to the guard in an attempt to disarm him. During the scuffle, the security guard was stabbed in the back by Sonny Belamas with the chisel he used at work.
Salomeo’s fellow security guard, Nilo Guzon, saw the assault on his colleague and rushed to his defense, firing his shotgun at the chisel-wielding Bellamas and killing him on the spot.
Romeo Bellamas tried to escape but was arrested along with Guzon by a responding team from the QCPD Talipapa station.
Salomeo remains confined as of Wednesday at Pacific Global Medical Center, where he underwent treatment.
Romeo Bellamas and Guzon were detained at the QCPD-CIDU to face charges of attempted homicide and homicide in the city prosecutor’s office.