• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A 14-year-old boy is in the custody of the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) after he allegedly hacked a fellow sugarcane laborer in Hacienda Carmont, Barangay Punta Salong, Manapla, Negros Occidental, late Wednesday night.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:10 p.m. on March 25, as the victim, a 21-year-old resident of Barangay Hila-itan, Guihulngan City, was resting in a nipa hut near their barracks.
According to witnesses, the suspect, a teenager, a resident of Sitio Lukdo, Barangay 1-A, Manapla, was allegedly under the influence of liquor when he launched the sudden attack.
Both the victim and the suspect are employed as sugarcane laborers.
The minor suspect, armed with a bolo, reportedly struck the victim on the forehead.
In an attempt to defend himself, the victim retaliated and struck the teenager on the back before fellow workers stepped in to pacify the two.
Both were rushed to Saint Ann Hospital for medical treatment.*
