Man shot to death over P1,000 debt

By Jennifer P. Rendon

When P1,000 means life and death.

A 60-year-old man was killed after he allegedly failed to pay the daily dues of his P1,000 outstanding debt.

Armando Samson was repeatedly shot at his own home at Zone 1, Barangay Boulevard, Molo, Iloilo City around 9 a.m. on August 12.

Samson succumbed to multiple gunshot injuries on his body after a gun attack perpetrated by his neighbor, Regolito Catalan, 56.

According to reports, Catalan went to the victim’s house to collect his P50 daily payment for the P1,000 loan he owed the former.

Captain Benjie Dicen, Iloilo City Police Station 4 chief, said Catalan is in the business of lending small amounts of money in their community.

His morning routine is going on a bike ride to collect P20 to P50 daily payments from his debtors.

Dicen said witnesses told them that the two had an altercation after Samson failed to pay.

Catalan went home and returned shortly. Armed with a caliber .45 pistol, he peppered the victim with bullets.

The suspect immediately fled after the incident. According to Samson’s 14-year-old son, he was sleeping when he heard gunfire.

He immediately went out to check and saw his father with gunshot injuries on the chest.

The boy claimed that Catalan has been regularly collecting payments from his father.

But on Saturday, Samson, a vendor of lamayo (half-dried) fish in Zarraga, Iloilo, missed to pay after the last P50 in his pocket was used to buy soy sauce.

It was gathered that the victim had four other children aged 13, 7, 5, and 1-year-old.