A 72-year-old man was hospitalized after being hacked by his neighbor in Sitio Kayapokyapokan, Barangay Manlapay, a mountainous area in Dalaguete town, at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2026. The victim was identified as Felipe dela Torre Salariano Sr., a resident of the area.
The suspect, Enrico Lagarde Sereño, 55, was immediately arrested by police during a manhunt operation. According to the investigation of the Dalaguete Municipal Police Station, Salariano was sitting by his door when the suspect suddenly arrived and, without warning, took his bolo and hacked the victim multiple times.
Salariano sustained multiple wounds on the head, neck, and body. He was brought by his son to the Mantalongon Rural Health Unit in Barangay Mantalongon but was later transferred to Isidro Kintanar Memorial Hospital in Barangay Bogo, Argao town, due to the severity of his injuries.
Police responded quickly and successfully arrested the suspect, recovering the 16-inch bolo used in the crime. Police Major Vincent Zozobrado, chief of the Dalaguete Municipal Police Station, said that based on statements from neighbors, the suspect has a history of mental problems.
He is said to be a marijuana user, which may have contributed to his loss of proper reasoning. The suspect had been previously arrested for violating Batas Pambansa Bilang 6 after being found with a knife, and doctors later diagnosed him with mental depression.
Zozobrado added that when investigators asked the suspect why he hacked his neighbor, he replied that he did not know what he was doing. Despite the suspect's mental condition, police will file a case of frustrated murder against him.
