By Trixee Rosel
Police arrested a 39‑year‑old construction worker after stabbing his 40‑year‑old friend, a jeepney barker, in Barangay Commonwealth on Wednesday night, Aug. 19, with investigators pointing to jealousy over a woman as the motive.
Batasan Police Station commander Lt. Col. Gemmer Tubiera said the attack happened around 8 p.m. while the victim was working roadside.
The suspect reportedly asked the victim to talk, led him to a dark portion of the street, and stabbed him before fleeing.
Investigators learned that days before the incident, the suspect had driven the victim out of their shared residence after becoming jealous of his communication with a woman they both liked.
Police said the suspect grew angry upon discovering that the victim had been texting her.
The victim sustained a stab wound on his left arm and was taken to a hospital, where he is recovering.
The suspect was arrested in Fairview later that night, and police recovered the bloodstained knife used in the attack.
Although the suspect denied stabbing his friend and rejected jealousy as the motive, police said evidence and background details point to rivalry over the woman as the trigger.
He remains in custody and faces a complaint for frustrated murder.
