Man shoots wife,‘lover’

CEBU, Philippines - Love and jealousy drove a security guard to shot his wife and her alleged lover in a KTV bar in Sitio Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City midnight yesterday.

Kenneth Bersales, 34, was arrested in a hot pursuit operation, after he killed Perceval Escareal Casas, 41, inside D Voice KTV and Grill, which was just across the business establishment Bersales was guarding.

Casas, who suffered a gunshot wound to the right side of the face, was declared dead on arrival at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Casas was the alleged paramour of Berales’ wife, Catherine, 41, who was in critical condition as of press time after suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Senior Police Officer 1Ruth Violango, Cebu City Police Office Homicide Section, investigator, said jealousy was the motive of the attack after Bersales saw his wife and Casas enter the KTV bar together.

Catherine reportedly did not know that Bersales, with whom she was already estranged allegedly because of “marital issues,” worked in an establishment right across the KTV bar.

Ni-Ann Garciano, a D Voice KTV and Grill waitress, testified that when the victims entered their establishment, Bersales, who was armed with a handgun, followed them near the counter. 

“Padulong man kuno siya maghigda-higda kay night shift man siya. Mao man gyuy paglingi niya – iyang asawa. Iya gyud giadto,” Violango said.

Bersales reportedly kicked Casas and shot him once before firing at his wife.

Bersales allegedly tried to escape but he was arrested by responding policemen from Guadalupe Police Station and the Mobile Patrol Group.

Violango said they could not confirm if Casas and Catherine were indeed lovers since they could not talk yet with the woman.

Violango said that when they checked Catherine’s phone, they saw text exchanges with a man but found no “I love yous” and that Bersales actually did not have any confirmation that his wife was really having an affair.

“Nagselos ang bana kay nagduda siya nga naay relasyon and iyang asawa sa namatay,” the policewoman said.

The police said Bersales and Catherine, who were married for 13 years and have three children, were not living under the same roof anymore since July last year.

Violango said that a friend of Catherine told the police that the victim left the suspet allegedly because he had been physically hurting her.

Bersales, however, denied this, saying that while he used to fight with his wife due to marital issues, he is deeply in love with her. He said she was having an affair with another guy but admitted that he does do not know who the man is.

He recalled that he once confronted Catherine, who allegedly told him that she already has another man in her life.

He also said that one of their children knows about their mother having an affair.

“Akong anak nakabasa sa text nga naa siyay uyab-uyab. Iyang gisuwat unya gihatag nako. Di siya pabasa sa cellphone. Pabutangan niya og lock,” he said.

He added that he even tried to reconcile with his wife by constantly sending her text messages to come back. Catherine, he said, never replied.

Bersales said that while he was not sure that it was Casas who was the alleged lover of Catherine, but the sight of her hugging close to him while riding a motorcycle was what prompted him to shoot them.

“Unsa man diay na ang babaye ug lalaki maggakos-gakos sa motor? Ayaw ko’g ingna nga habal-habal driver ra to,” he said.

Bersales said Casas and Catherine were colleagues at work and that the man was also married and has one child.

Bersales admitted waiting for Casas to park his motorcycle first before he approached them. Bersales, who is employed by LapuLapu Security Agency, admitted that he used his service firearm to shoot his victims.

But while he owned up shooting them, he said he was praying for his wife’s safety.

“Ako nang ikalipay nga maluwas siya,” he said.

He also revealed his Valentine’s Day plans with his family, saying he had wanted to to go out with Catherine and their children for a family date.  That is not happening now.

The police recovered from the scene a .38 revolver, two empty shells and two bullets.

Bersales is currently detained at the Guadalupe Police Station after being subjected to a paraffin test yesterday afternoon to establish that he really fired a gun.

He would be facing murder and frustrated parricide charges.

Meanwhile, a househelper was also arrested after she allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City Monday evening.

Concerned citizens collared Gerlyn Tabacong Vildosola, 21, after she reportedly stabbed Al Alindajao Tolentino, 21, in the back.

Vildosola and Tolentino were both from Negros Oriental and are currently working as househelpers in the said barangay.

Violango said that prior the incident, Tolentino had just come out from the comfort room when he saw Vildosola leaning on the parked motorcycle outside his place.

Vildosola reportedly asked the victim what she was doing there and told her to go home already and then ignored her as he went inside his room.

Vildosola allegedly then stabbed Tolentino in the back using a bread knife.

Violango said that jealousy possibly prompted Vildosola to do what she did since Tolentino allegedly hugged another girl in front of her and would often leave Vildosola in the house of his relatives.

 “Niana man gud na iyang magulang nga  pwede ra gyud mo maggakos-gakos og laing tawo total dili pa man mo kasado. Og naa pa silay pagrespeto nako ug naa pa silay pag-ila nako nga ako asawa ko sa ilang igsuon, makasulti sila niya nga ayaw buhata kay nagtan-aw imong asawa, unya wala man gyud,” Veldosola told The FREEMAN.

She said they were supposed to get married this March but that she would not do so anymore after what happened.

“Sa pagkatinuod di na nako kaya, kapila na niya gibuhat nako, kapila nako gipasaylo, pero mao ra man gihapon. Sobra na iyang gibuhat nako,” she said.

Vildosola is currently detained at Cebu City Police Office detention cell and will face a frustrated murder charge. — (FREEMAN)