Food server attacks hospital dietary head

CEBU CITY — A male food server at a hospital here went berserk the other day and attacked the chief of the dietary section of the same hospital with a butcher’s knife, critically wounding her.

The victim, Antonia Miaga, 46, had just finished eating her lunch at about 1:30 p.m. and was washing her hands at a sink in the kitchen of Chong Hua Hospital when Nestor Dennis Jabonero attacked her from behind.

Miaga suffered deep hack wounds in the head, nape and back and had two fingers severed from her right hand as a result of the attack. She was confined at the intensive care unit.

Jabonero surrendered to hospital guard Michael Canasa and was later arrested by police from the nearby Fuente police precinct where he is now detained while awaiting charges.

Jabonero told reporters he simply blacked out and did not know why he attacked Miaga.

He said what he could remember was Miaga telling him to go to the hospital administration office to clear his "absence without official leave (AWOL)" last Monday.

He said his mind just went blank upon hearing that.

Jabonero was busy helping prepare food at the time and had the knife in his hand. He said the next thing he knew he was already attacking Miaga.

Jabonero said he was absent on Monday because he got confused over his day-off.

He said his day-off used to be on a Monday but got recently moved to Friday. Forgetting about the change in schedule, he said he inadvertently took his day-off on Monday and that was probably why he was declared as having gone AWOL.

Jabonero said he has been working at the hospital for nearly nine years, serving food from noon to 8 p.m. and then helping out with other jobs such as preparing food whenever he is finished with his main job.

Still recalling what had happened, he said his fellow workers told him that they yelled at him to stop his attack but claimed that he heard nothing.

Jabonero said he harbored no grudge against Miaga, describing her as a kind-hearted woman who even helped him out when he started building his house.

"It was from her that I would borrow money to construct my house. I owe her a lot," he said.

At the time of the incident, there were three other people in the hospital kitchen aside from Miaga and Jabonero. But police investigator Zenaido Pastorfide Jr. said all three scampered away to safety when Jabonero attacked Miaga.

Two of them, food attendants Hospicio Aguilar Jr. and Pio Arcelo, said they were removing soiled dishes from the food tray when they heard Miaga groan in agony.

When they turned to see what was the matter, they saw Jabonero hacking away at Miaga, so they instinctively ran away.

The third other person in the kitchen, cook Jaime Jaboli, ran directly toward the quarters of the security guards and reported what was going on in the kitchen.

Canasa was the first to respond and came upon Jabonero already in the aisle outside the kitchen, still holding the bloodstained knife.

Jabonero offered no resistance and meekly surrendered to Canasa.

But while Jabonero had claimed he bore no grudge against Miaga, initial police investigation showed Jabonero actually had an argument with Miaga last week when he and the other employees of the dietary section were informed about the changes in their days off.

Nobody at the hospital was willing to issue a statement. — Freeman News Service