Newsbriefs

CAVITE

Suicide at the mall

An unidentified man died instantly after he jumped from the third floor of a mall in Imus, Cavite, on Thursday, police said.

Senior Superintendent John Bulalacao, in a phone interview, said CCTV footage that police obtained from the security force of Robinson’s Place in Barangay Tanzang Luma showed the man jumping off the mall past noon.

Bulalacao said the man fell head first on the ground and was dead instantly. The man had long hair and was described to be about 5’4” tall and between 25-30 years old, Bulalacao said. The apparent suicide did not have any identification papers on him, said the police officer. Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon

ORMOC CITY

Skydiving turns fatal

A 24-year-old man plunged 3,500 feet to his death after his parachute didn’t open as he jumped off a plane for a skydiving lesson on Thursday here.

The body of Louie Raymund Pestaño was found in a rice paddy 150 meters from the runway of the city’s airport. The impact of his fall created a 2-feet-deep hole in the ground.

Pestaño, a resident of Cebu City, was a medical student of the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila.

He went to Ormoc to learn skydiving from members of the Cebu Parachute Club, who were scheduled to perform in a skydiving exhibition in the morning of October 20 as part of the city’s 64th Charter Day celebration.

He and engineer Gil Gantuangco, a member of the Ormoc Builders Association, were set to do a beginner’s jump at an altitude of 3,500 feet past 2 p.m. on Thursday.

Gantuangco, however, backed out. Pestaño went ahead and jumped off from a Cessna plane with his instructor, identified only as Gary.

Witnesses said they saw Pestaño twisting in the air after the jump. They said they didn’t see his parachute open as he fell closer to the ground.

Resident Dennis Omega said he heard a loud thud that sounded like an explosion but which turned out to be the sound of Pestano’s body hitting the ground. Elvie Roman-Roa, Inquirer Visayas