The boyfriend of the 19-year-old mass communication student who plunged 20 floors to her death on the roof deck of a condominium in Ermita, Manila, has clarified that his girlfriend was not taking selfies when she fell, contrary to previous media reports.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Audwin Manalang Libot said Kristina Marie Pagalilauan of Adamson University did not even bring her phone the afternoon she died.
READ: 19-year-old student falls to death after taking selfies on Ermita roof deck
“Nahulog po siya—period. [T]aking pictures was never their main agenda sa pagpunta dun. It was an accident at hindi po dapat bahiran ‘yun ng catchy storyline just to sell. Pumunta sila sa taas para manuod ng sunset. We loved sunsets. We love views that take our breath away. ‘Yung spot po na ‘yun, that’s where we find peace at relaxation,” Libot said.
“Some people go to church to feel at peace, some people go to bed to be relaxed. That’s where we find both. She was adventurous—pareho kami. We loved sneaking into and climbing towers, roofs, rooftops—you name it. Basta may magandang view, kahit mag-isa, aakyatin namin yan,” he added.
Citing the statement of Pagalilauan’s friend and classmate Jonea Mildred Ani, police investigators previously said the student was not satisfied with the pictures they had taken so she decided to climb up the parapet wall.
Noting that Pagalilauan was “smart” and “talented,” Libot defended his girlfriend from critics calling her narcissistic, which stemmed from reports that she died after taking selfies.
“Yes, they took pictures using her friend’s phone. Sa age of social media ngayon bakit napaka-sama ng ginawa nila? Almost any person with a phone would do the same, mas matapang nga lang siya. Hindi po siya mababaw at narcissistic na tao. I hate to brag but I would just like people to know what she really was. She was smart; nagde-dean’s lister po siya. She was talented; she had a special talent for singing and also had a voice and the personality special enough to be a radio DJ. Hindi siya yung pinoportray ng media,” he said.
Libot denounced the supposed sensationalism in various reports, maintaining that what happened to his girlfriend was purely an accident.
“What the news is trying to portray and what really happened are two different scenarios. Masasabi mo bang ang taong nag-picture bago matulog at namatay sa panaginip ay namatay dahil sa selfie? Nabangungot ho diba? Na-aksidente si Nana. Naaksidente si Kristina Marie Pagalilauan,” he said. RC