A teenage boy was fatally stabbed by his own cousin during a drunken altercation in Barangay Tokod, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.
The incident occurred around 10 PM on Thursday, as confirmed by PCapt. Joey Flores, Deputy Chief of Police at Kasibu Police Station, in an interview with Bombo Radyo Cauayan.
According to the investigation, the suspect, who is also a minor, and the victim were drinking with seven others when the victim, intoxicated, began punching the walls of an abandoned house where they were gathered. The outburst caused their friends to leave, leaving only the suspect behind.
When the suspect tried to calm the victim down, the victim turned on him in anger, choking him. In an act of self-defense, the suspect reportedly stabbed the victim with a hunting knife. The suspect then fled the scene, leaving his cousin’s lifeless body behind.
Due to the remote location of Barangay Tokod, where houses are far apart, there were no witnesses to the crime. The following day, the suspect confessed the incident to his parents, who then turned him over to authorities.
The suspect is currently in the custody of Kasibu Police Station, under the supervision of the Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD), and will be handed over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) after the inquest proceedings for a homicide charge.
The local police are now taking steps to monitor establishments that sell alcohol to minors. Authorities have reminded the public that selling alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited, and violators will face appropriate penalties.