Balloon vendor strangles 2 kids to death

MANILA, Philippines - A balloon vendor admitted to killing a boy and a girl in Laguna province because the children's father allegedly took P900 from him.

Balloon vendor Joey Aguirre on Tuesday night surrendered to the San Pedro police and admitted to killing siblings Eunice Ann, 8 and Mark Daryl Longno, 4.

"Binabangungot ako eh (I'm having nightmares)," Aguirre told police when asked why he decided to surrender.

The children's father, Daryl Longno, said that the last time he saw his children was on Sunday morning. The children went missing for 2 days until their bodies were found in a vacant lot inside a subdivision in Barangay United Better Living.

Aguirre said he was not planning to murder the children, but as he was leading the kids to the subdivision something pushed him to strangle them.

He said strangled the children to death and abandoned their bodies in the vacant lot.

Aguirre said the children's father tricked him into giving him P900, which would be placed as a cockfight bet. He said he was saving the money for his child's christening.

Police said 2 counts of murder will be filed against the suspect. (report from Francis Faulve, ABS-CBN News)