Scholar, 16, robbed, killed in Cebu City on his father’s birthday

The two minors and an adult (clockwise 4th, 5th and 6th from left), who visited the Inayawan police station today, August 7, to deny any involvement in the killing of the minor, student scholar, are detained because they are still suspects in the killing and police were still verifying their claims. | Pegeen Maisie Sararaña

CEBU CITY, Philippines — What could have been a happy day for the Estan family, who had just celebrated their father’s birthday at the house of their father’s twin sibling in Minglanilla town, turned into a day of tragedy for them, instead.

This was after one of the members of the family, was robbed and killed on his way home from the birthday celebration on Saturday evening, August 6.

Jerome Estan, 16, a Grade 10 scholar, of Barangay Pahina Central, Cebu City died after he was robbed and then stabbed in the chest allegedly by a group of minors in Villa Manga in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City at past 10 p.m. that night, said Police Senior Master Sergeant Geoffrey Gutual, investigator of the Inayawan Police Station.

Gutual said that three persons, two minors and an adult, had already went to the police station to deny any involvement in the crime.

He said that the three were detained as they were considered suspects and they were still verifying their claims denying any involvement in the killing.

He also said that two other minors, one of whom was believed to have been the one who stabbed the victim, had remained at large as of this posting.

Ma on why son was in Bulacao

Moralyn Estan, 54, the mother of the victim, recounted, during an interview with CDN Digital, why Jerome was in the area alone at that time.

Moralyn said that Jerome wanted to stop by on their way home to meet a co-scholar near a food park in Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City.

Jerome wanted to get his T-shirt, which was at with the co-scholar because he would need it for their scheduled trip on Sunday (August 7) to a beach in Tuburan town with their scholarship sponsor.

She said that she had second thoughts of letting Jerome go there because it was already past 10 p.m. but Jerome was adamant and she relented.

“Karon, niana siya nga ma, muuna lang ko. Muadto ko sa kay Justin. Ingun ko nga ayaw na lang lagi kay gabie na. Niingon siya nga magkuha ko sa T-shirt ma kay ako dal-on ugma sa among paglarga,” Moralyn said. 

(He said that ma, I will go ahead of you. I will go to meet Justin. I told him that he should not go because it was already late night. But he said ma, I would get the T-shirt because I would bring it tomorrow on our trip.)

Moralyn said that Jerome immediately rode a passenger jeepney heading to Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City past 10 p.m. while the family stayed behind for a while as they were still waiting for somebody then.

Later, when they were ready to go home, they then boarded a bus to Cebu City. 

Stabbing victim was Jerome

She said as they passed by Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City, someone told them that someone was reportedly stabbed.

“Ang maguwang nga babaye, nitan-aw ug gipicture-ran unya niingon nga hala ma luoya gud ana. Unya wa mi magexpect nga kato diay naghayang, si Jerome na diay to,” Moralyn said.

(The elder sister took a photo and she told me that she pitied the victim. And then we did not expect later that the one who was lying face up was Jerome.)

It was only when they arrived at their home in Barangay Pahina Central in Cebu City that they were told that Jerome was stabbed in Bulacao.

She said that they hurriedly went back to Barangay Bulacao and found out that the bloodied dead person lying on the roadside near the skywalk was Jerome.

Moralyn said that they did not recognize that it was Jerome at first because he was no longer wearing any T-shirt on and he had two stab wounds on his chest.

“Wa man jod sya kabantay kay nagsanina baya to unya karon naghukas na…unya pagkahibawo niya diha na siya nakaingon nga ang naa sa cellphone kay si Jerome,” she added. 

(She really did not notice because Jerome was wearing a T-shirt and now he had no T-shirt on him… and when she learned about this she then said that the one on the cellphone [the photo that she earlier took] was Jerome.)

Scholar’s dream gone

Moralyn said that the scholar Jerome wished to become an engineer and assured her that they would live a comfortable life soon when he would graduate. 

But all this, his dream, and promise, were all taken from them by the person who killed him, she said.

“Wa jod koy mahimo sa akoang anak. Di na jod mabuhi pa. Mao na nga akoang hangyo kay pagawsa na ang nagpatay sa akoang anak. Pagawsa na og asa dapit nitago. Gikulata lang unta nila, wa lang unta nila patya,” she further said. 

(There is nothing more that I can do for my son. He is no longer alive. So I am requesting to anyone who is hiding the person who killed my son to let him come out. Let him come out wherever he is hiding. He should have just mauled him [Jerome]. He should not have killed him.)

Moralyn said that they were firm to file a complaint against all the suspects to give justice to his son’s death.  

Suspects’ alibis, claims

Police Senior Master Sergeant Gutual, investigator of the Inayawan Police Station, said they had five suspects in the killing.

Three of them had already been detained at the Inayawan Police Station after they visited today, August 7, the police station to clear their names.

The three suspects, a 22-year-old man and two minors, who are both 16 years old, told police that they had nothing to do with the killing.

Gutual said that the these three were allegedly among the persons seen fleeing from the crime scene.

The 22-year-old man claimed that he was only near the Skywalk at that time together with a friend and waiting for another friend when suddenly some people started running towards Sitio Villa Manga.

The man said because of this, he also started running away from the area

The two minors claimed that they were only pursuing a certain John Lloyd, who was another minor, for taking the cellphone of the victim.

However, Gutual said that they were verifying these claims and were asking why the minors claimed pursuing John Lloyd with the stolen cellphone when they could have helped the victim instead, who was then stabbed.

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