Man admits dumping son's body

CEBU, Philippines – The father of the 13-year-old boy whose body was found in a pond in barangay Basak-Pardo last week, surfaced yesterday and confessed placing his son in a sack dumped him in the pond early morning last April 25.

Arsenio Trasmil, 50, of sitio Back Rubber World, barangay San Nicolas yesterday went to the San Fernando Funeral Homes and identified as his son Michael the boy found in the pond last week.

Michael was said to be a special child and a polio victim.

At the funeral parlor, Trasmil disclosed his son died at their residence last April 24 but he reportedly did not have the money to give him a proper burial, thus, he was forced to place him in a sack and put the sack in a place where it could easily be seen. Trasmil said he was “anxious” at that time and did not know of the right thing to do.

He, however, denied killing Michael.

Trasmil, a carpenter, told reporters he went home midday on April 24 to feed Michael who was reportedly suffering from bronchopneumonia for almost a week already. But Michael reportedly kept on spitting out the food and got chocked, which made Trasmil decide to stop feeding him and go back to work instead.

Trasmil said he saw Michael turn pale but thought his son might just recover.

At 3pm, he again went back home and reportedly saw black ants swarming over Michael’s eyes. To prevent the ants from reaching his son, he reportedly placed Michael on a hammock.

Two hours later, Michael was reportedly dead.

In an interview with GMA-7’s “Balitang Bisdak,” Trasmil’s alleged live-in partner Vivian Catahom said Trasmil reportedly told her to simply say Michael’s mother took the child to Davao, in case policemen would investigate the incident.

Reports also had it that Trasmil allegedly left Michael to live in a small shanty for four years already but Trasmil denied the same yesterday, saying he and his son lived in the same house for the past 13 years. Trasmil said his wife left them when Michael was still two years old.

City Police Director Patrocinio Comendador said Trasmil will remain under police custody while awaiting the result of the autopsy on Michael’s body.

Comendador said lack of money for burial expenses is not an excuse for Trasmil “to do the crime.” He said Trasmil should have reported his son’s death immediately to the police. — Niña G. Sumacot/JMO (THE FREEMAN)