Pa faces parricide for beating son to death

CEBU, Philippines - A criminal case for parricide was filed in court yesterday against a father who beat his one-year-old son to death.

No bail was recommended for Restituto Ibo, Jr. who was indicted by the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office for killing his son Patrick Sedeño Bantilan last Sunday.

Assistant city prosecutor Alex Gabud found probable cause to elevate before the Regional Trial Court the criminal complaint for parricide against Ibo.

Ibo beat his son supposedly to stop him from crying but he was able to silence him for good. Cara Franciosa Bantilan, 25, live-in partner of the accused, said that she left the victim with his father because she went to the river to wash their clothes at the river in Barangay Sapang-daku.

Bantilan said she was surprised to see her son when she got home because the child was already gasping. Bantilan said she asked Ibo what had happened and that latter told her that he punched and slapped the boy because he wanted him to stop crying.

They immediately tried to resuscitate the child but it was too late, the boy passed away. Ibo was immediately arrested by the responding policemen who were called by the aunt of Bantilan.

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Bantilan said it was not the first time that her live-in partner maltreated their son.

She said the suspect had long been maltreating their son, to the point that the baby would cry whenever he sees his father.

“Maong maglagot ang bata kung naa siya. Magsige og hilak,” Bantilan said.

“Bisan gani kanang maghagwa siya sa among anak, da’ng pasakit,” she added.

She said she would reprimand the suspect for doing so, but the suspect, who admitted being a drug user before would get mad at her. (FREEMAN)