Robbers kill man after taking his wife's pig, bibingka sales

A 55-year-old man was stabbed dead by two masked men who robbed him and his wife in barangay Jagbuaya, Tuburan town Monday afternoon while they were walking on their way home after selling "bibingka", a local rice cake, in an adjacent barangay.

The slain victim was Martillano Abaquita while his 57-year-old wife Elizabeth was also attacked with a piece of wood but was able to run to a house for help.

The still unidentified assailants fled with the couple's money: P8,000 in proceeds from the sale of their pigs and P500 from sales of their "bibingka."

Tuburan Police investigation showed that Martillano and Elizabeth sold their products in neighboring barangay Lunas of Asturias town where there was a fiesta.

By 6 p.m., after selling their products, the couple was already on their way home at sitio Lamak, barangay Jagbuaya of Tuburan when, upon reaching a secluded area, two men with covered faces, suddenly waylaid and robbed them.

Elizabeth, at the time, was carrying a flashlight and a pail containing rice and her wallet where she kept the P8,500.

One of the assailants struck the right hand of Elizabeth with a piece of wood causing her flashlight and the pail to be thrown away. When she attempted to pick the items up, the man struck her hand again.

Elizabeth said that, upon seeing that the other man was stabbing her husband, she ran away from the scene towards a house of a certain Alex and asked for the latter's help.

Alex accompanied Elizabeth back to the scene but the robbers were no longer there and they found beside the cornfield the lifeless body of Martillano, bathed with his own blood from several stab wounds.

The pail was recovered but the wallet containing the couple's money was no longer there.

The town police is still conducting investigation to identify the assailants and the real motive of the killing. - Gregg M. Rubio