In the quiet barangay of Ingay in Tubungan, Iloilo, the Bal-lingkita family was a symbol of hope and hard work. Their modern, newly constructed home stood as a testament to the sacrifices of a father working as an OFW in New Zealand, a dream of a better life taking shape block by block.

At the heart of that dream was 18-year-old Candy, the youngest of four daughters, a recent high school graduate with honors who dreamed of one day joining her father and sisters abroad. But on June 17, 2025, that dream was extinguished in the most brutal way imaginable, not by a stranger in a dark alley, but by a neighbor who slipped through her bedroom window in the dead of night.

The tragic discovery was made by Candy’s own mother, Fe. As was her habit, Fe often slept in their old, cooler bamboo hut just outside the main house, leaving Candy alone in the new, still-unfinished home. On the morning of June 17, she went about her day, assuming her daughter, who often stayed up late on her phone, was simply sleeping in.

It wasn’t until 5:00 p.m. that a sense of unease prompted her to check on Candy. When she got no response, she looked through the window and saw her daughter lying on the floor. With the help of neighbors, they forced the door open, only to be met with a devastating scene.

Candy was gone. Her body showed clear signs of a violent struggle, and it was immediately apparent that she had been the victim of a horrific crime. The initial investigation by the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) was puzzling. There were no signs of forced entry to the main house, as the family often left the doors unlocked.

This initially led police to believe the perpetrator was someone Candy knew and had willingly let inside. The autopsy would later confirm the family’s worst fears: not only had Candy’s life been taken by blunt force trauma to the head, but she had also been subjected to a brutal sexual violation.

With seven initial persons of interest cleared by DNA tests, the case seemed to be at a dead end. But just three days after the incident, the investigation took a shocking turn. A 33-year-old local habal-habal driver named Aljun Canillo walked into the police station and surrendered. Canillo was a familiar face; he was their neighbor, a man the family knew and had even shared drinks with. No one could have ever suspected him.

In his chilling confession, Canillo recounted the events of that fateful night. He claimed that at around 2:30 a.m., while returning home from a drinking session and under the influence of illegal substances, he passed the Bal-lingkita home. He noticed that the window to Candy’s bedroom was slightly ajar. On a dark impulse he claimed was only meant to “surprise” her, he climbed a nearby tree, slipped through the window, and entered her room.

Candy, startled awake, cried out, “Who are you?” In a panic, Canillo said he covered her mouth to silence her. A violent struggle ensued, during which they both fell from the bed. He claimed that Candy hit her head on the floor, and he, believing she was no longer alive, stayed in the room for another 30 minutes before escaping through the same window.

He vehemently denied the sexual violation, a claim that was directly contradicted by the forensic evidence and the long, deep scratches on his neck—a silent testament to the fierce battle Candy had waged for her life.

Following his confession, Aljun Canillo was charged with both homicide and the sexual violation of Candy. The case became a heartbreaking reminder of the fragility of safety, even within the supposed sanctuary of one’s own home.

For a family whose dream was built on years of sacrifice and separation, the loss of their beloved daughter to a senseless and brutal act by a trusted neighbor was a tragedy from which they may never fully recover.