ILOILO City – A barangay tanod was fatally stabbed while performing his duty during a street brawl in Barangay San Juan, Molo district.
The 38-year-old Michael Barredo of the village’s Zone 2 responded to the altercation around 5 p.m. on May 29 together with fellow tanods.
What began as a routine intervention to pacify a group of youth turned violent when the responders were suddenly attacked by those involved in the fight. Barredo was stabbed in the shoulder and back. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival at 5:58 p.m. by the attending physician.
“This is the harsh reality of our tanods. They step in to stop violence, and sometimes, they become the victims themselves,” said Police Captain Ryan Christ Inot, officer-in-charge of Police Station 4.
Initial investigation identified two adult suspects: Philip John Sanico, 25, of Zone 1B, San Juan, and Carlo Lacquin, 22, of Barangay South Baluarte. The third suspect, a minor known only by the alias “Carlo”, was temporarily taken into custody by the police after reportedly being seen by another tanod joining the stabbing.
Also implicated in the assault is a known local troublemaker identified as alias “Jetjet,” 25, who has a record of homicide and illegal drug charges. He is currently at large.
Police were still determining whether Carlo is the same individual as Lacquin or a separate person altogether.
As of this writing, authorities continued to investigate and track down other suspects involved in the brutal attack./PN
