Construction worker, minor nabbed over Carles homicide

ILOILO CITY — A construction worker and a 15-year-old accused in a homicide case were arrested in separate police operations in Carles, Iloilo.

The minor and alias “Marvin,” 35, were accused, along with three others, of allegedly mauling a man in March 2026.

The victim died several days later in a hospital.

The minor, a resident of Sitio Minoro, Barangay Bancal, Carles, was arrested on the morning of Sept. 29 in Barangay Poblacion.

Marvin was arrested at his residence in Sitio Minoro, Barangay Bancal, at 10:04 a.m. on Oct. 1.

The suspects were apprehended by virtue of a warrant of arrest for homicide under Article 249 of the Revised Penal Code, docketed as Criminal Case No. 2026-13319.

Regional Trial Court Branch 71 Judge Jose Mauricio Erispe Gomez of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, issued the arrest warrant on Sept. 14, 2026.

The minor was listed as the No. 6 most wanted person in Carles, while Marvin was ranked No. 10 on Iloilo province’s most wanted list.

Bail of PHP 120,000 was recommended for their provisional liberty.

Maj. Karl Jerome Tingala, Carles police chief, said police did not know at the time of the incident that one of the accused was a minor.

After his age was confirmed, the minor was turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO).

Marvin, meanwhile, is detained pending the proper disposition of his case.

Under Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 10630, a child who was 15 years old or younger at the time of an alleged offense is exempt from criminal liability and must instead undergo the appropriate intervention process.

Article 249 of the Revised Penal Code covers homicide, or the unlawful killing of another person when the qualifying circumstances for murder are absent.