Mentally ill man takes young cousin hostage

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A man allegedly suffering from a mental illness took his teenage cousin hostage early on July 15 in Janiuay, Iloilo.

After a brief negotiation, alias Chris, 23, a resident of Barangay Jibolo, Janiuay, surrendered to police authorities.

According to reports, Chris and his 13-year-old cousin Justine had spent all night at a wake. They decided to go home around 5:30 a.m.

While walking along Barangay R. Armada, Chris suddenly grabbed his cousin and held a knife to his neck.

Captain Alwin Salmon, Janiuay police chief, said they were immediately called to assist and convince Chris to surrender.

“He just continued to walk while carrying his cousin for about a kilometer before he finally yielded,” Salmon added.

The boy was physically unscathed but was taken to Federico Roman Tirador Sr. Memorial District Hospital for examination.

Salmon said Chris was not detained and was referred to Western Visayas Medical Center for treatment.

“He already had a record at the hospital for psychiatric evaluation,” Salmon said.

Chris’ mother revealed that her son had not taken his maintenance medication for three days.

His condition could have been aggravated by sleep deprivation and failure to eat on time.