Dolphy grandson to face murder charge

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to file murder charges against the grandson of comedy king Dolphy and two others who were allegedly responsible for beating to death a neighbor in Tondo, Manila last Dec. 4.

Special investigator Joselito Guillen, of the NBI’s National Capital Region Office, said they will lodge murder cases against Rowell Quizon and his two accomplices, Marlon dela Cruz and an alias Phillip, before the Manila city prosecutor’s office.

They reportedly beat and killed Jeffrey Vergara while he was celebrating his birthday outside his house.

"Our investigation showed that it was Quizon who was the first one who threw the punch at Vergara. The victim tried to fight back but he was overpowered by the three suspects," Guillen said.

He added that according to one witness, who happened to be a mutual friend of both the victim and suspect, Quizon had a previous rift with Vergara’s brother.

But it was Dela Cruz who allegedly hit Vergara on the head with a bottle full of beer that caused him to fall on the ground and lose consciousness, Guillen said.

Vergara’s common-law-wife, Berna Fernandez, filed the complaint against Quizon and the two others.

Vergara was celebrating his birthday on Dec. 3 and was already winding up the party at around 1 a.m. the following day when Quizon and his friends allegedly arrived and later beat him up.

Vergara was hit on the head and lost consciousness when he hit the pavement. He was not taken to the hospital when he recovered from his drunken stupor because everyone in the house thought he was only drunk.

Vergara went to bed in the afternoon. Later he complained of a headache and was taken to Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Sta. Cruz, Manila. Vergara died on Dec. 5, apparently from an internal head injury.

Just last month, the alleged younger brother of Quizon, Nicolo Paulo, 19, was arrested by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for allegedly murdering a factory worker on Dec. 19, 2005.