Jobless pa holds 2 sons hostage
A 44-year-old jobless man held his two sons hostage inside their home yesterday morning at the Gawad Kalinga relocation site in Brgy. San Isidro, Jaro, Iloilo City, police said.
Hostage-taker Nonito Servando also threatened to kill his two sons Nevan, 10, and Ronel, 7.
Servando’s wife, Nolalita, and their neighbors initially negotiated for the suspect to let go of the two boys, whom he held at knifepoint.
Initially, nobody could get near the suspect, not even the policemen who responded to the incident. The policemen then tried to “strike a deal” with Servando but they were unsuccessful in persuading him to yield his two sons.
The suspect calmed down only after he saw the presence of reporters, and went out of the house, carrying his two sons.
During the negotiation, policemen diverted the suspect’s attention and grabbed the knife from him. Along with Servando’s neighbors, the policemen took the boys who were apparently traumatized by what their father did.
Servando was believed to have been hurt while fighting the authorities for the possession of his knife.
At the police station, the suspect said it was not his plan to hurt his two children whom he claimed were victims of circumstances.
“Kung gusto ko sila bun-on, pwede eh pero palangga ko na sila. Indi ko sila masakit (Had I wanted to stab them I could have done it, but I could not do it because I love my children,” said Servando, who admitted being depressed in recent days.
Before the incident, he was not able to sleep for three days, he said.
Meanwhile, Nonalita claimed that her husband went on a bad state of depression after being unemployed for several years now.
Despite what happened, she said she will not file a case against her husband. Instead, Nonalita said she might bring her husband to a mental institution.