Gay teacher survives attack by brgy tanod

 Assailant furious that his “girl” textmate was a man

SIQUIJOR, SIQUIJOR, Philippines  — A gay teacher of a college in this town was stabbed several times by a tanod who was furious when he found out that the teacher was actually a man and not a woman as he was made to believe during their month-long textmate relationship.

The attack took place at Barangay Canal in this town last Monday, and the police identified the suspect as 26-year-old Jonic Alegria Vicoy, a tanod from Brgy. Cangmalalag of nearby Larena town, who stabbed the teacher several times with a four-inch pocket knife.

The victim, identified as 27-year-old Helmer Bantilan Ongue who is an instructor of the BIT International College-Siquijor, however survived the attack and is now being treated at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City.

Ongue, who was first taken to the Siquijor Provincial Hospital, sustained 17 stab wounds on left side of his chest below the nipple, left side lower abdomen, left and right upper extremities, and ear and occipital area of head.

Vicoy was already released last Wednesday after posting bail to the charge of frustrated homicide filed at the Regional Trial Court-Branch 46 of Siquijor.

In his narration of the incident to The Freeman, Vicoy said he and Ongue were textmates for almost a month, with the latter using the name “Sheila.”

Vicoy said that anger triggered him to stab Ongue after he found out that the teacher he knew was a “girl” was actually a man. “All I know that Ongue was a girl but, when we meet, I found out he’s gay,” he said.

“I picked up knife from my motorcycle’s U-box because Ongue said he will not let me go if nothing will happen to us that night. He got my short pants, that is why when police responded to the scene, I was just wearing my underwear,” Vicoy added.

Senior Insp. Jimson Ponce, chief of the Siquijor Police Station, said the crime was solved with the help from the community.

“Following a report by a certain Armando Marchan, who heard someone screaming for help at the described place, we responded to the scene and caught the two men brawling at a secluded and dark area along a mini-boulevard at barangay Canal. Vicoy was shirtless with a knife while Ongue was bathed with blood, when we came to the area,” added Ponce.  (FREEMAN)