The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the cancellation of the cash bond posted by a suspect in the killing of a nurse and directed the issuance of a warrant of arrest to serve his sentence.
The ruling followed the CA’s decision to uphold the homicide conviction of Manalo Nur Jr., also known as “Bot,” who shot dead a nurse who attempted to pacify him after he became enraged over his son’s discharge from the Datu Odin Sinsuat District Hospital.
In a decision dated Dec. 16, 2025, the CA’s 23rd Division, through Associate Justice Richard Mordeno, affirmed Nur’s criminal liability and denied his appeal seeking to overturn his conviction.
The appellate court found no reason to disturb the Regional Trial Court’s findings, ruling that the prosecution witnesses’ testimonies were “positive, unequivocal and categorical” in identifying Nur as the gunman.
Court records show that Nur was convicted in the October 2022 killing of Nelson Mantawil, one of the nurses on duty at the hospital when Nur complained about his son’s discharge despite the child still being ill.
According to witness accounts, Nur demanded to see the doctor who approved the discharge. He was asked by nurses to wait while they contacted the attending physician, but he allegedly remained aggressive and hostile.
Mantawil approached Nur in an attempt to calm him down, but Nur allegedly drew a firearm and shot him multiple times.
Nur denied the charge, claiming he was in Marbel at the time of the incident for a business transaction. He also challenged the credibility of the witnesses who identified him as the shooter.
The CA rejected Nur’s argument that he should be acquitted due to the prosecution’s failure to present the firearm used in the killing, noting that witness testimony sufficiently established that a gun was used.
“Nelson died due to the injury he sustained from appellant’s assault. Appellant’s intent to kill is apparent when he shot Nelson several times,” the court said.
The CA ruled that the proper conviction was homicide, not murder, finding that the shooting resulted from a sudden impulse rather than a premeditated or deliberate act.
The appellate court thus upheld the RTC’s sentence of 12 to 14 years of imprisonment, while reducing the amount of civil indemnity and damages awarded to the victim’s family.