Distraught man kills self, son he feared losing

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—A man in South Cotabato, reportedly despondent over the prospect of separation from his 12-year-old son, set his home on fire and exploded a grenade, killing himself and the boy in the process, the police reported Thursday.

Police Officer 3 Homer Celiz, case officer, identified the man as Charlie Mantilla and his son Charles Joven.

Celiz said the police in the town of Polomolok received an alert about a fire followed by an explosion in Barangay Sulit around 12 noon on Wednesday and immediately sent a team there.

He said when investigators arrived in the area, they were led by residents to the house of the Mantilla family.

Celiz said the fire that Mantilla had started in the master bedroom was already out  by then because neighbors had managed to force their way into the house.

He said the neighbors found the mutilated bodies of the Mantilla father and son in separate corners of the kitchen.

Neighbors and relatives told investigators that Mantilla started showing signs of mental and emotional distress after receiving information that his wife, who works abroad, wanted their son to live with her parents for still unknown reasons, Celiz said. This worsened when he was told that his wife was coming home in February, Celiz added.

Lucila, Mantilla’s mother, said her son resented the wife’s plan, which Charles Joven had confirmed earlier, because he was so attached to the boy. She said her son had taken care of the boy for the past six years while his wife was working abroad.

Victoria de Pusoy, who grew up with the Mantilla clan, said before the explosion, she overheard Charles Joven pleading to his father to calm down.

“Bembem (Charles Joven) asked him to stop what he was doing. He set his motorcycle on fire, went inside the master  bedroom then burned their clothes. A few minutes later, a loud explosion took place,” Victoria said.

Bebing Tanare, a childhood friend of Mantilla’s, said he had been  drinking heavily since being told that Charles Joven would soon be living with his in-laws.

Tanare said she asked Mantilla once if he needed help but he told her he was okay.

“But he once told me also that a voice kept whispering in his ear, telling him that his son will be taken away. Maybe, he was imagining things due to too much alcohol intake,” Tanare said.