Girl, 16, stabs dead neighbor over cut ‘patola’
It all started with a patola (ridge gourd, Chinese okra), but the fight ended with one woman killed in Brgy. Talibong Grande, Mina, Iloilo Tuesday morning.
The victim, 24-year old Ma. Fe Camayao, also of the said place, was stabbed dead after a fight with her neighbor over a cut patola vegetable.
The incident started when Camayao allegedly accused a neighbor of intentionally striking their patola plant.
It was then that the 16-year old suspect came in and defended her younger sister.
After some exchanges of harsh words, the two allegedly indulged in a catfight.
“Nagdumugay sila sang una pa lang. Tapos ang bata nag-una pa ni puli pero wala pa gali nag-untat ang hangkatanay nila. Sang ulihi, na-gwa pa gid ang bata sa ila balay kag nag-away sila. Gali ang bata may nataklos na nga sundang,” Mina Police Station chief Insp. Efraim Opjer said.
The teenage girl then stabbed her neighbor twice on the stomach.
Camayao was immediately brought by family members to Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan, Iloilo but was declared dead on arrival.
During the incident, Opjer said that the victim’s brothers were also present but did not meddle thinking that it was just one of those girl fights.
Even the suspect’s parents were also inside their house when the incident happened.
After the stabbing episode, the 16-year old girl voluntarily surrendered to police authorities.
She was then turned over to the custody of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (DSWD) in the area.
According to the suspect, she was not able to control her anger after repeated provocation from Camayao.
The victim, she added, even threatened to wipe out her face with scratches and marks.
She claimed that she only defended her sister because of baseless accusations from the victim.
It was gathered that it was not first time that the suspect and victim fought over their vegetables or their livestock.
As this developed, Opjer said that Camayao’s family is hell bent on filing appropriate charges against the juvenile offender.
