Amulet wearer survives hacking attack for fourth time

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A man who allegedly possesses an amulet, or anting-anting, survived another hacking incident on the afternoon of Jan. 17 in a hinterland village in Janiuay, Iloilo.

Alias Tinoy, a resident of Sitio Tib-Tib, Barangay Quipot, Janiuay, was reportedly sleeping under a tree after drinking when his nephew, identified only as alias Remar, attacked him with a bolo.

The attack left Tinoy’s face disfigured.

However, Capt. Marlon Perez, chief of the Janiuay Municipal Police Station, said the victim is expected to survive — just like in previous attacks.

The incident occurred around 4 p.m. Saturday but was reported only five hours later.

The area is around 25 kilometers from the town proper, with more than half of the route inaccessible to vehicles.

Perez said there is also no telecommunications signal in the area, which contributed to the delay in reporting.

Because of this, the suspect was not immediately arrested.

Relatives transported the victim to the Roman Tirador Memorial District Hospital in Janiuay, but he was later referred to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City for further treatment.

It was learned that this was already the fourth time Tinoy had survived a bolo attack.

Perez said the victim appears to rely on his amulet for protection.

In fact, the suspect in this incident was also behind the third attack.

“There was no compelling motive. The suspect was also under the influence of liquor. Maybe they were trying to test if his anting-anting really works,” Perez said.

The victim’s family, meanwhile, said they are not interested in pursuing criminal charges against the suspect.