MANDAUE CITY, CEBU, PHILIPPINES—Two stabbing incidents, a case of malicious mischief, and firecracker injuries welcomed the New Year in Mandaue City.
Despite these incidents, Police Inspector Mercy Villaro, Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) public information officer, told Cebu Daily News Online, that the observance of New Year’s Day in Mandaue City was generally peaceful.
Villaro said that various untoward incidents were merely isolated cases brought by intoxication in relation to the celebration of the New Year but none of these incidents resulted to the death of a person.
The first of these incidents happened at around 5 p.m. on Monday (December 31), where Roel Rabino, 21, and his 16-year-old brother allegedly mauled and stabbed another minor, a 17-year-old boy, in Barangay Alang-alang.
The three were reported to have been engaged in a drinking session in the area when they ended up arguing, which resulted to the stabbing attack.
According to Police Chief Inspector Aldrin Villacampa, Centro Police Station chief, the wounded teenager managed to escape his attackers, ran to their house nearby and sought the help of his mother, who rushed him to the hospital for treatment.
The boy suffered stab wounds in the back.
The mother then reported the stabbing incident to the Centro Police Station and a followup operation was conducted, which led to the arrest of the Rabino brothers.
The elder Rabino was detained at the Centro Police Station detention cell pending the filing of charges while his minor brother was turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Merely 8 hours later or an hour into New Year’s Day or around 1 a.m. on January 1, 2019, a Barangay Tipolo resident, who was walking along the road in Sitio Maharlika in the barangay, was stabbed and wounded in the chest by an unidentified assailant, who fled after the attack.
Despite his wound, Harry Etcuban, 21, reported the attack to the Centro Police Station, surprising the police officers as the bloodied Etcuban entered the police station.
Police brought him to the hospital for treatment.
Centro Police were still investigating the attack.
Later at 5 a.m., two Korean nationals were arrested for malicious mischief in a hotel in Barangay Bakilid.
Police Inspector Mercy Villaro, Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) public information officer, identified the suspects as Chen Gho and Chen Song.
Both were reportedly intoxicated when they got into an argument with the front desk attendant of the hotel located at the J Centre Mall.
The argument led to the Koreans breaking the glass of the front desk as they attempted to scatter hotel documents on the floor.
They also allegedly threatened the front desk attendant.
The security guard of the hotel held the Koreans and later turned them over to the Subangdaku Police Station, where they were detained.
Meanwhile, at least 6 persons, who suffered firecracker-related injuries, were recorded in Mandaue City based on the data released by the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7).
According to Villaro, the recorded injuries included a 6-year-old boy who was hit by a blast of piccolo while walking along the street in Barangay Jagobiao.
The child was immediately brought for treatment to the Eversley Child Sanitarium and General Hospital in Barangay Jagobiao. /dbs