Former neighbor kills boy, 12, in Ormoc

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — A 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death by an enemy of his father while he was on his way to buy medicine at about midnight on Saturday in Sitio Doña Aurora, Barangay Ipil, here.

Chief Insp. Mariano Catilogo identified the victim as Jerome Suganob.

The police arrested the suspect, Joefil Baul, 36, of Barangay Salvacion, who has been detained pending the filing of charges.

Baul denied killing the boy but the victim’s two companions identified him as the one who abducted him before his body was found.

SPO1 Ruben Orsolino, investigator of the case, said they were eyeing a personal grudge in the killing since Baul and the boy’s father, Reynante, had a falling off when the two were neighbors in Barangay Salvacion.

After the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013, Orsolino said Reynante and his family moved to Barangay Ypil.

At about 10 p.m. on Saturday, Suganob was told to buy medicine for a sibling who had a fever.

He was reportedly with two of his friends on their way to the barangay proper when Baul snatched him and brought him to a dimly lit area and killed him.

The boy’s two companions ran and reported what happened to Jerome’s parents.

Lolita Tambis, a witness, told the police that she noticed Baul wearing a black cap while acting suspicious at about 7 p.m. He reportedly asked for the whereabouts of  Reynante, 37.

When Baul learned that Reynante was not around, he stayed at the village chapel for several hours until he saw the boy walking with his two friends.

The boy was later found with several stab wounds in the body. His nipples were sliced off./rga