Deceit and blackmail likely trigger for Philippines murder-suicide, says cousin

A cousin of Maltese national Joseph Cardona, who killed himself Saturday after murdering his Filipino lover, in Mandaue City, has claimed Cardona had grown concerned over the fate of his wife-to-be after having allegedly invested all his life savings in property development.

Speaking to MaltaToday on condition of anonymity, Cardona's cousin said he held weekly Skype conversations with his cousin over the past year, and that Cardona was worried over his relationship with well known Filippino fashion designer Joy Bernaldez.

The couple met in Australia about two years ago and were living together in Bernaldez's residence for some time, before she decided to throw him out and lodge him in a pension room, after her children returned from Australia and expected to take a cut from the flourishing business Cardona was building.

The close relative said Cardona sensed his relationship was edging closer to an end due to a change in attitude by his partner, and alleged a reluctance to release the money he had invested with her had led to tensions between the two.

Cardona was also concerned he was about to be deported to Australia following a fabricated report by Bernaldez about a beating she received from him.

"Joseph told me how he couldn't accept the reality of having all his life savings taken away from him, and being forced to return to Australia where he had emigrated some years ago, with absolutely nothing in his pocket," the cousin told MaltaToday, adding that his cousin had given the money to Bernaldez to invest under her name, as Filipino laws prohibit unmarried foreigners to have a business registered under their names.

"I believe that Bernaldez pushed the wrong buttons and blackmailed Joseph to the extent that he couldn't face a situation where he had to restart life at 53," Genovese said, adding that he got to know about the tragedy from Cardona's brother in Australia, who is on his way to the Philippines to claim the corpse and return it for burial in Melbourne.

The Maltese police also contacted the family after receiving a notification from Interpol about Cardona's death.

Cardona's cousin says that Joseph Cardona remained his closest cousin, describing him as "very unlucky" since his teens.

Four times divorced, and a father of two, Cardona left Malta in his late teens to seek a future in Britain, and travelled to France and Australia but returned to Malta regularly and stayed for long periods. The last time he was in Malta was 2003.

Meanwhile, the media in the Philippines is giving prominence to the news about Bernaldez's murder and Cardona's subsequent suicide.

Cardona - known as 'Joey Ta' Stilla' - was originally from Sliema and emigrated to Australia some 20 years ago. He worked as a building contractor in Melbourne, and was divorced with two children. He often travelled to Malta and kept regular contact with a number of Maltese friends.

"The threat to deport him could have led to the fatal attack on the fashion designer," said Insp. Ramil Morpos, deputy chief of Investigation Detection and Management Branch (IDMB) of the Mandaue city police.

On Nov. 27, Bernaldez had reportedly gone to  the Mandaue City Hospital and secured a medical certificate for injuries that Cardona allegedly inflicted on her.  It said she had swollen soft tissues behind her right ear due to mauling and was advised to undergo a CT scan but she refused.