American Citizen Shot Dead in Silay City Over Beer

Welcome to the Philippines.  Now die!

An American citizen was shot dead by two bar customers after he reportedly refused to give them beer late Tuesday evening in Barangay 5, Silay City, Negros Occidental. 

Police identified the fatality as 57-year-old Eric Hendrickson, originally from Iowa in the United States, but currently a resident of Saint Francis Village in the city’s Barangay 4. 

Silay City police chief, Police Superintendent Noel Polines, said based on initial investigations, Hendrickson was drinking beer inside a bar, while the two suspects, identified as 40-year-old Gilbert Apellido and 18-year-old Neil Brian Corseno, were seated at an adjacent table. 

The suspects approached Hendrickson and asked for beer, to which he refused, resulting in an altercation. 

Hendrickson reportedly sought to avoid trouble and transferred to another table, but the suspects followed him. 

One of the suspects then pulled out an unidentified caliber firearm and shot Hendrickson in the head.

https://watchmendailyjournal.com/2018/05/17/american-citizen-shot-dead-silay-city-beer/

This story leaves out a crucial detail that is in another story.

Superintendent Noel Polines, city police chief, said Hendrickson arrived at the bar when suspect Gilbert Apellido, 40, of Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City, who was severely drunk allegedly bullied him after the foreigner only bought one bottle of liquor. 

The foreigner did not mind him at first but Apellido kept on bullying him that caused them a misunderstanding. 

Hendrickson slightly pushed Apellido and told the latter to "stay away from him." 

It prompted the suspect to return to his table, where his nephew Neil Brian Corseno, 18, of Barangay Mambulac, Silay City, was sitting and took his firearm.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1743589/Bacolod/Local-News/American-killed-in-Silay

Please don't touch the Pinoys.

Both of these articles leave out another crucial detail.

An American was shot dead in Silay City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday evening while his 5-year-old son was waiting in his vehicle that was parked nearby.  

The victim identified as  Erik Norman Hendrickson, 57, of Wisconsin, United States, was declared dead on arrival at the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, Supt. Noel Polines, officer-in-charge of the Silay City Police Station, said yesterday.  

Polines described the incident as “senseless” as the victim had passed by in the area, with his 5-year-old special child, to buy a bottle of beer, which was a routine activity for him , before going home.  

His assailant reportedly asked the American to buy him drinks and when he refused he was badmouthed in Ilonggo. Hendrickson, who speaks conversational Ilonggo and understood what was said, was then shot.  

Lorenzo Lopez Locsin, a friend of Hendrickson said the American was a professional portrait photographer who is married to Vicky, a Silay resident, who works in Wisconsin. She is in the United States and is set to return home.  

Meanwhile, their 5-year-old son is staying with relatives.  

Locsin described Hendrickson as a very nice person who had adopted to the Ilonggo way of life. When he first met the American several months ago he told him that his son needed speech therapy, Locsin said.  

Hendrickson would always strike up a conversation with people by saying “Mayung gabi, ako si Erik, Ilonggo ako (Good evening, I’m Erik, I’m Ilonggo), Locsin said.  

“He planned to bring his son to the US. But he wanted his son to grow up with Filipino values and culture. To know his roots and history. He wanted his son to be respectful of his elders, to be kind and loving and helpful to others. And that, in order for him to do so, he first has to become one, he had to become an Ilonggo dad,“ Locsin said.  

The boy who did not speak and could barely make eye contact a few month ago with the help of his father was of late initiating conversation with kids his age, he added.  

Locsin said he rushed to the boy’s side on hearing that his father had been killed.  

“That shy boy who barely spoke... with his father’s accent, without a hint of shivering in his voice, said Tito Enzo, they killed my dad,” Locsin said. 

The details in these stories are all messed up. Iowa and Wisconsin are kissing cousins in fly-over country so I guess it would be easy to mix them up.  But what about this detail with his son? Was he buying a beer to take home or was he drinking at a table by himself?

Say what you will about "going native" the part about him wanting to be an Illonggo dad is just tragic in more ways than one. Tragic for his son who is now without a father and tragic for the his dad who has become another victim of "Filipino values and culture."