Jealous husband hacks wife's alleged lover in bed; frustrated murder case filed

Ilagan City, Isabela – A 32-year-old man was arrested after allegedly breaking into the home of his wife's suspected lover and repeatedly attacking the victim with an axe while he was asleep, leaving him seriously injured.

According to the Ilagan Component City Police Station, as reported by a national media outlet, the incident occurred at around 8:30 p.m. on July 19 after the suspect allegedly entered the victim's residence.

The 44-year-old victim, whose identity was withheld by authorities, was reportedly hacked several times with an axe while sleeping. He sustained multiple wounds on different parts of his body and was rushed to a hospital by responders for immediate medical treatment.

The victim remains under medical observation.

Police investigators believe the attack stemmed from a personal dispute. According to the police report, the suspect claimed that the victim had an affair with his wife, which allegedly resulted in her pregnancy.

Investigators also said the suspect had reportedly been monitoring the victim for some time before carrying out the attack.

The suspect was immediately arrested and is now in the custody of the Ilagan Component City Police Station. Authorities are preparing to file a frustrated murder charge against him.

As of writing, the investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have yet to release additional details about the case.

The consequences of infidelity and the dangers of jealousy

There is no official Philippine database that specifically records violent crimes motivated by infidelity or extramarital affairs, as the Philippine National Police classifies crimes according to offenses—such as murder, homicide, and frustrated murder—rather than motive.

However, police investigations and court records show that jealousy and suspected infidelity have frequently been cited as motives in serious violent crimes.

Philippine courts have also recognized the emotional harm caused by marital infidelity. The Supreme Court has reiterated that while infidelity alone is not automatically a criminal offense, it may constitute psychological violence under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (Anti-VAWC) Act if it causes significant mental or emotional suffering to a spouse.

In a 2025 survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), 27% of adult Filipinos said they had personally experienced or seen some form of cheating in a relationship. The most common forms were physical cheating (11%) and emotional cheating (11%), followed by cyber-cheating (6%), financial cheating (5%), and micro-cheating (4%). In the same survey, 43% of Filipinos believe that trust can still be rebuilt after infidelity. The researchers also noted that the results are a reflection of people’s experience and perception of cheating, not the actual number of people who’ve been unfaithful.