TIGBAO, Zamboanga del Sur — Police have launched a manhunt against a 47-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his nephew following a drunken altercation during a family gathering in Barangay Upper Nilo, Tigbao, authorities said.
The victim was identified as Jessie Dandan, a farmer in his early 40s and a resident of Purok Buli, Barangay Upper Nilo. He was declared dead on arrival at the local Rural Health Unit after sustaining multiple stab wounds to the abdomen and upper chest.
The suspect, Dodo Apales Mahinay, also known locally as “Dodo,” remains at large. Police said he fled the scene shortly after the incident, which occurred at around 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 17, 2026.
According to the Tigbao Municipal Police Station, both the victim and the suspect had attended a family reunion in the barangay. Initial investigation revealed that the two had been drinking alcohol when an argument broke out, allegedly rooted in a long-standing personal dispute. The confrontation escalated when the suspect reportedly drew a long hunting knife and stabbed the victim several times.
Responders from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Tigbao assisted in rushing the wounded farmer to the Rural Health Unit, but attending physicians pronounced him dead.
Police believe the killing was driven by a personal grudge aggravated by intoxication. A hot pursuit operation was immediately launched, but as of this writing, the suspect has not been apprehended.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family has made a public appeal for the suspect to surrender peacefully. In an interview with RMN Pagadian News Team, Junard Mahinay Dandan, the victim’s brother, said the family wants justice but is urging their uncle to turn himself in to avoid harsher consequences under the law.
“We appeal to him to surrender so the process will be proper,” he said, adding that while the family is willing to forgive, they remain firm in filing charges to seek accountability.
The victim’s remains are currently laid to rest at their father’s home in Purok Buli, Barangay Upper Nilo. Authorities continue to urge the suspect to surrender to the Tigbao Municipal Police Station as the investigation proceeds.