Man gets 14 years in jail for killing drinking pal

CEBU, Philippines - A man from Carcar City will have to spend 14 years of his life in jail after the Regional Trial Court found him guilty for killing his drinking buddy some nine years ago.

Percival Alledo, 37, was accused of killing his friend Ireneo Manguiran last November 22, 2001 following a heated argument in a drinking spree in Barangay Bolinawan.

Esperidion Diapera, one of the witnesses testified that he was at distance of 15 arms length in a well lighted place when he saw Alledo “dropped” a stone as big as a coconut fruit onto the victim, who was lying on his back, hitting the latter on the right side of his head.

Diapera said that after Alledo had fled, he went to the victim and saw that he was bleeding. He then brought him to the hospital but the victim died the morning of following day.

Branch 8 Judge Macaundas Hadjirasul said that the evidence of the defense failed to successfully controvert the prosecution evidence.

“None of the witness testified to anything that would constitute a credible defense for the accused. In fact, some testimonies of the witnesses even strengthened the evidence of the prosecution.” he said.

Allen Padin, one of the defense witnesses, in a cross examination said that at around 10 p.m. Benedicto Alegado and Elyjorde Paninsoro were drinking Tanduay in her store.

Later on, Alledo allegedly arrived and joined the drinking spree. Then Manguiran also arrived and join them. A little later, the victim and the accused allegedly had a dispute while they were in the middle of the drinking session.

Padin said that she brought Manguiran to the house of Diapera to pacify the conflict but it was then that she learned that another altercation happened and just knew that Manguiran was brought to the hospital.

“The foregoing testimonies seem to corroborate and explain important facts of the prosecution’s evidence and supplied some missing links in said evidence about the subject incident like the distance between the witness was and the location of the victim and the accused when he saw the accused dropped a stone at the victim,” Hadjirasul said.

In the death certificate of the victim, it was stated that his death is caused by brain herniation and coronal fracture of the skull and hematoma in the head.

On top of the sentence, Hadjirasul also ordered the accused to pay the victim’s spouse P10,000 in moral damages, indemnity for the victims heirs worth P50,0000 and exemplary and temperate damages worth P30,000.— Jasmin U. Labaco/WAB   (FREEMAN NEWS)