Construction worker stabbed to death while asleep

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A construction worker did not survive after he was stabbed while sleeping in their quarters in Mandurriao, Iloilo early morning of August 24.

Melward Juson was already bathed in his own blood when he was found around 2:10 a.m. Thursday.

Police suspected that the victim’s co-worker, 25-year-old Royven Laste, was the one who killed Juson.

Royven and his younger brother and fellow construction worker, 22-year-old Stanley Laste, were nowhere to be found when their co-workers looked for them.

The two brothers reportedly hail from Barangay Quinabonglan, Maayon, Capiz.

Juson, a native of Barangay Santiago, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo and temporarily staying at  Barangay Calajunan, Mandurriao, went boozing with his co-workers and their foreman Wednesday evening.

Their foreman claimed that he did not notice anything unusual about the workers until he decided to sleep around 10 p.m.

He later learned that they finished their drinks at 10:45 in the evening.

At past 2 a.m. on Thursday, he was awakened by another worker informing him that something happened to Juson.

When they later looked for the Laste brothers, they were no longer at the construction site.

The group are stay-in workers at a residential home in Westwoods Subdivision in Barangay Dungon C, Mandurriao.

Meanwhile, Leny Alba, the victim’s roommate, claimed that Royven woke him up around 11:45 p.m.

Royven allegedly told him to collect his personal belongings and go with them.

Alba claimed Royven told him that they wanted to kill Alba.

But instead of taking it seriously, Alba said he got up from bed, transferred to the adjacent room, and went back to sleep.

At around 12:30 a.m., Alba said he was awakened by a groaning sound inside Juson’s room. He immediately checked and saw the wounded victim.

Members of the Iloilo City Emergency Response (ICER) team took the victim to Western Visayas Medical Center where he was declared dead on arrival.

Staff Sergeant Joemar Panes, Iloilo City Police Station 5 investigator, said the victim succumbed to a stab injury on the left upper back portion of his body.

Panes said they could not rule out the motive of the incident but are not discounting the possibility that Royven got irked because the victim used to tease them.

Meanwhile, a hot pursuit operation was immediately done to arrest the suspects.