Mass held as police clean up Ponce home
Four days after the gruesome killing of the Ponce family in Talisay City, the police, city health personnel and barangay tanods cleaned the house where the crime was committed Sunday morning.
A Mass was also held inside the house after the cleaning.
Former seaman Emmanuel Ponce killed his wife Melinda and children Ellaine Grace, Heather Joy and Emlin Bridge and their housemaid Anastacia Deniega in their house in Palm View Vilage, Tabunok, Talisay. Emmanuel also turned the gun on himself after the shooting spree.
SPO1 Mikie Espina said relatives of Embrelaince Therjoy “Ember” Ponce, the lone survivor of the killing, sought police help in cleaning the house. The city health office was also consulted on its proper cleaning.
The police also conducted an inventory of the valuables left in the house in the presence of Ember’s relatives.
Two bolos were found under the double-deck bed of Heather Joy. They also found two empty shells of a .45 pistol.
Talisay City police chief Eddie Recamara said they will turn over the empty shells to the crime laboratory.
He said the two bolos hidden under Heather Joy’s bed were possibly for “self-defense.”
Recamara said he will meet with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to initiate a “counseling drive” that would persuade all women residents to report any domestic violence cases to DSWD and to the Talisay City Women’s Desk.
Recamara said married couples with domestic disputes should undergo counseling.
Paul Redula, Ember’s cousin, also said that if Emmanuel and Melinda had undergone counseling, the tragedy could have been prevented.
Meanwhile, talks that ghosts haunt the Ponce residence continue to spread.
Barangay tanod Nelson Echavez said at 12:30 a.m. yesterday, he saw a woman with shoulder-length hair at the back of the house. He also saw an unidentified woman cleaning the Ponce house.
Recamara advised Ember’s relatives to hire a caretaker to look after the house.
The police will deploy barangay tanods to guard the house at night.
