Man who dumped son in pond may face child abuse charges, not parricide

CEBU, Philippines – The PNP Crime Laboratory found no indication of foul play on the remains of the 13-year-old boy whose body was found floating in a pond last week but police said the boy’s father who admitted dumping his dead son into the pond is not free from charges.

Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said yesterday they are looking into filing a case for violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti- Child Abuse Act against the boy’s father Arsenio Trasmil.

Comendador said they earlier considered filing parricide charges against Trasmil but circumstantial evidence reportedly made them decide otherwise.

Dr. Ernesto Satur of the crime laboratory said he found no foul play on the remains of Michael Trasmil but they would still subject his bones to DNA testing for further verification.

Arsenio was placed under arrest the other day after he confessed to placing Michael’s body in a sack and dumping the sack in the pond early morning last April 25. Arsenio said he was forced to do the same because he did not have the means to pay for a descent burial. Michael reportedly died a day before after suffering from bronchopneumonia for almost a week.

But police believe Arsenio was not alone in dumping Michael’s body that is why an investigation is now underway to determine his possible companions.

Arsenio went to the San Fernando Funeral Homes last Monday and identified as his son the boy found in the pond last week. Michael was said to be a special child and a polio victim.

Arsenio disclosed his son died at their residence last April 24 but he was reportedly “anxious” at that time and did not know of the right thing to do.

He, however, denied killing Michael.

Arsenio said he went home midday on April 24 to feed Michael but the child reportedly kept on spitting out the food and got choked, which made him decide to stop feeding him and go back to work instead. He 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,” Arsenio’s live-in partner Vivian Catahom said Arsenio reportedly told her to simply say Michael’s mother took the child to Davao, in case policemen would investigate the incident.

Reports had it that Arsenio left Michael to live in a small shanty for four years already but Arsenio denied the same, saying he and his son lived in the same house for the past 13 years. Arsenio said his wife left them when Michael was still two years old. - Christopher Gabriel C. Bonjoc/JMO (THE FREEMAN)