Ex-Toyota cager hacked in QC

A former professional basketball player who played for Toyota in the 1970s is now in critical condition after a neighbor hacked him in the head with a bolo yesterday afternoon in Quezon City.

Oscar Rocha, already in his early 60s, is now confined at the St. Luke’s Medical Center for treatment of a deep cut in the head.

Initial investigation showed that the incident happened on Detroit street, Barangay Pinagkaisahan, Cubao at about 2:40 p.m. in front of the house of suspect Demetrio Cagumpan IV, 58.

Police said they recovered the bolo at the scene of the crime.

According to the suspect, who is now detained at the Central Police District-Station 10 after being caught by barangay tanods, he had just stepped outside his house when Rocha spotted him. The suspect claimed his neighbor started shouting unsavory words at him for no apparent reason.

In retaliation, the suspect grabbed a bolo and swung it at his neighbor, hitting Rocha in the head.

Cagumpan claimed the victim has been under surveillance by the National Bureau of Investigation for allegedly peddling or supplying illegal drugs in the Payatas and Kamias areas in Quezon City.

However, Rocha’s wife, Susy, belied Cagumpan’s allegations. She insisted the suspect attacked her husband for no reason at all.

Rocha is often referred to as the original "bad boy" of Philippine basketball. He was the first player to be fined and suspended in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). – Katherine Adraneda