Charice's dad stabbed dead

MANILA, Philippines - The father of international singing sensation Charice was stabbed dead in San Pedro, Laguna Monday night.

Ricky Pempengco, 40, of M.H. Del Pilar, Barangay Laram, died on the spot from two stab wounds in the chest and back, according to San Pedro police chief Superintendent Kirby John Kraft.

Witnesses identified Pempengco’s assailant as Angel Capili Jr., 35, a construction worker.

Earlier reports said the suspect was arrested in a follow-up operation. But Kraft denied this, saying two police teams were dispatched to track down the suspect believed to be hiding in Laguna or the nearby province of Cavite.

Police said Pempengco and Capili were both drunk when they chanced upon each other along A. Bonifacio Street at 11:30 p.m. Monday.

Pempengco was buying cigarettes at a store when he accidentally brushed against Capili. Irked, the suspect stabbed the victim with a 12-inch ice pick.

Kraft said Pempengco and Capili had an old grudge after they got into a fight while the latter was attending a wake in the village six years ago.

Capili, who now resides in Cavite, used to live in Barangay Laram.

Pempengco’s sister, however, maintained that the victim did not know the suspect.

Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, Laguna police director, has offered a P20,000 reward to anyone who can give information that will lead to the suspect’s arrest.

He said murder charges will be filed against the suspect before the San Pedro Prosecutor’s Office.

Charice cancels concert

Pempengco was estranged from his daughter, Charice, 19, who rose to international fame through performances on YouTube, eventually appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey shows in the US and the television hit musical series “Glee.”

She mourned her father’s death in a post on Twitter and said they had been close until her parents separated and she and her brother stayed with their mother.

Local media have widely reported that her father’s violent and abusive behavior led to the family breakup.

“We had a really great relationship before all the trouble started… I loved him and I will still love him. He’s still my dad after all,” she said in the tweet.

Charice apologized to her fans for not being able to attend the concert in Singapore. “I am very sorry to all my fans from Singapore. I am not going to be there to be part of David Foster and Friends concert. I have to go back to the Philippines as soon as possible to be with my family. I hope you all understand. I love you all and I will see you next year.”

Family squabble heats up

The death of her father heated up the reported family squabble as Charice took offense at the statement of her paternal aunt that she and her mother would have been happy with what happened to her father.

In her Twitter account, Charice said she had long kept her silence on the scandals her father’s siblings had caused. She noted that she could no longer take the fact that they disrespected them even with the death of her father.

“Matagal akong naging tahimik sa mga eskandalong ginagawa nyo. Pero ngayon, di ko na kaya pati sa pagkamatay nya GANYAN PARIN KAYO. Hindi ako takot. Lalo na sa mga taong walang respeto (I have long kept silent about your scandalous behavior. But now, even with his death you’re still at it. I am not afraid, especially of people with no respect),” her tweet read.

She pointed out that her father’s siblings had no right to say what she is feeling about her father’s death.

“Sino kayo para sabihing masaya ako sa pagkawala ng SARILI KONG AMA? Kapatid lang kayo at ako ay ANAK (Who are you to say that I am happy that my father is gone? You’re just his siblings, I am his child),” said Charice.

She added that her mother did not prevent her from visiting her father, but his siblings had not allowed her and even told her not to use the name Pempengco. – With Ed Amoroso, Arnell Ozaeta, AP