Woman rescued after being held hostage by partner

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A 60-year-old farmer was arrested after taking his live-in partner hostage at their two-story house in Barangay Prosperidad, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, on Saturday night.

The incident reportedly occurred because she refused to sign documents for a land transfer.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Nazer Canja, city police chief, said they received a call for assistance from a concerned citizen. They validated the information with barangay officials before responding.

Canja said the suspect was allegedly armed with a firearm when he took his 51-year-old live-in partner hostage.

The couple’s four children helped authorities pacify the suspect, who was expressing anger and frustration over the matter.

It took authorities six hours to negotiate with the suspect to surrender, according to Canja. They aimed for a peaceful negotiation, exercising maximum tolerance.

When police entered the couple’s house, they subdued the suspect in the living room after he had calmed down and safely rescued the woman, Canja added.

Canja stated that the victim was unharmed, and no weapon was recovered from the house or the suspect.

Based on information, the couple had an agreement about a piece of land but likely had a misunderstanding.

Canja said they would check the suspect’s background for any previous complaints against him.

He also noted that he is unaware if the couple had previous arguments about land disputes.

They are waiting for the victim’s decision on filing serious illegal detention charges against the suspect, who is now in police custody.