Want to know what really happened?
He was an officer with the merchant navy. His ship was docked in Manila. He went there to meet it. His company had an office in Manila. Oh the papers missed that bit out, didn't they?
He also had a fiancee. He was due to marry Michelle next year when she finished college. The week before she was discussing wedding dresses with her friends on Facebook.
He'd previously announced on Bebo that Michelle was "the love of his life".
I think he had a day off, and met one or both of this pair. They were really friendly and they agreed to meet up later to go out for a meal. At the end of the night, they invited him back either to stay at their place overnight because it was a fair distance from his hotel, else just for a nightcap while they phoned a taxi.
Once in the house, the 'boyfriend' demanded cash - they would have seen his wallet open during the course of the night as he paid for drinks etc and got greedy. In the Philippines the cost of living is much lower than ours, and so a little money to us is a lot to them.
John refused and so this other fellow went into the kitchen and brought out a knife. His girlfriend tried to stop him but got injured in the process. Neighbours heard the screams and called the emergency services. My nephew was dead on arrival at hospital.
The boyfriend has gone underground. The girl's injuries were superficial. The police did what filipino police always do and blamed a love triangle. (to protect tourism, but I've since learned that no white man is safe in the Philippines...they see Westerners as fair game for mugging...be warned.
John would have been just 28 years old on the 27th of this month. RIP John. Love you xx
