Poverty, depression drove her to the tracks
The woman who was killed after jumping in front of an oncoming train at the Light Rail Transit 1 Edsa station on Thursday had been enduring a tumor on the left side of her face.
Authorities learned of the woman’s identity on Friday from her three siblings, who said Lucy Aroma, 52, was apparently driven to commit suicide by her poverty and depression over her condition.
Also on Friday, the city prosecutors’ office cleared the train operator, Anthony Atutubo, of criminal liability.
In a resolution, prosecutor Josefina Muego said there was “insufficient cause to indict” him for the complaint of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide which was filed by the Pasay City police despite a video showing that Aroma jumped into the tracks as the train approached.
Aroma was also seen kneeling and holding on to the tracks before her head got crushed by the train’s wheels.
A resident of Maricaban, Pasay, Aroma was single, jobless, and had shown signs of depression, said Pio, Raymundo and Jose Aroma in an affidavit. “(This illness) was her problem and we, her siblings, had tried to help her find a cure,” they said.
Arriving at Rizal Funeral Homes in Pasay at 6 p.m., they said they had a hunch that their sister was the unidentified fatality reported in the news when she failed to return home that afternoon.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH). Their crisis hotlines are available at 1553 (Luzon-wide landline toll-free), 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, and 0908-639-2672. For more information, visit their website: (https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline)
Alternatively, you can contact Hopeline PH at the following numbers: 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673, 88044673. Additional resources are available at ngf-mindstrong.org, or connect with them on Facebook at Hopeline PH.
