A mentally unstable Filipina is now under the custody of the Italian police for allegedly killing her husband and son and seriously injuring her daughter, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed yesterday.
The DFA received the report about the arrest of Teresita Aguila Lleva after she reportedly slit the throats of her husband Wilson and 10-year-old son Brian on Friday while they were sleeping, Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos said. Lleva also tried to slash the throat of her eight-year-old daughter Bea, but the child fought back, sustaining wounds on her throat and hands.
The daughter was rushed to hospital for treatment and is still in the intensive care unit, although Conejos said reports reaching the DFA showed that the girl is out of danger.
Information gathered from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) revealed Lleva had a history of emotional and mental problems since last year when she attempted twice to commit suicide by slashing her wrist then taking an overdose of undetermined drugs.
Lleva underwent a series of psychiatric examinations in Milan last year, and in October went back to her hometown in Batangas where she continued her medication.
In February, Lleva returned to Milan. Two months after, she started acting strangely, refusing to live in the town of Melegnano where her husband worked as a warehouse caretaker. Lleva reportedly urged her husband to move out of their place, but he refused because doing so would be costly for them.
Her unfulfilled desire to transfer residence reportedly triggered her depression.
The Philippine government is requesting medical treatment for Lleva while at the same time seeking dismissal of the criminal case filed against her.
OWWA yesterday reported that Filipino officials in Milan are now arranging legal representation for the Filipina.
They are also preparing to present evidence manifesting Lleva’s unstable mental condition in the hope that the court would absolve her from criminal liability and order her confinement and treatment in a mental institution.
Philippine officials will resolve custody of Bea once she is discharged from the hospital. – Pia Lee-Brago, Mayen Jaymalin