MANILA — For the second time this year, a woman jumped to her death at a popular Mandaluyong City mall on Monday morning, a day after she posted a video of her kissing her minor girlfriend on Facebook.
Jessa Lojo , 18, a first year BS Physical Education college student from the Rizal Technological University, died around 10:35 a.m. after diving from the fifth floor to the upper ground floor of the mall’s Building B, witness Chan Mae Pontillo said.
Lojo who fell face down on the ground suffered head injuries. She was rushed to the Medical City but was declared dead on arrival, a report reaching Senior Superintendent Joaquin Alva, the Mandaluyong City police chief, said.
The staff of the mall immediately cleaned the area and lifted the body, Alva said. Alva reminded the security guards never to breach security protocol during accidents or deaths.
Senior Inspector Danilo Esguerra, chief of the Mandaluyong City police’s station investigation unit, said they learned so far that Lojo committed suicide a day after she was reprimanded by her aunt after she posted in social media a video of her kissing her 17-year-old girlfriend.
Pontillo, friend of the victim’s sister, Irene, who was with the victim moments before her suicide, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Jessa was crying and looking quite depressed right before her jump.
“Lagi na lang akong pabigat (I’m always a burden to my family),” Pontillo remembered the victim telling her. Lojo added she was also embarrassed that her relatives saw the video, Pontillo said.
Lojo and her 17-year-old girlfriend, had been in a relationship since Oct. 5.
Around 9 a.m. Monday, Pontillo said she was set to meet with Lojo, Lojo’s sister Irene, Lojo’s girlfriend and some friends to talk about the posting of the video at a McDonalds’ branch in Barangka. Irene had asked for the cell phone number of the parents of Lojo’s girlfriend, Pontillo said.
Lojo, however, ran away crying.
Pontillo followed Lojo, who pleaded Pontillo not to turn her over to her sister, saying she was afraid. Lojo instead asked Pontillo to bring her to the Divine Mercy Church in Maysilo Circle. However, Lojo changed her mind and asked Pontillo to bring her to the “church” in the Mandaluyong mall.
When they reached the fifth floor, Pontillo said she was looking at the other side when Lojo hugged her from behind. Pontillo, looking back, then saw saw Lojo diving, and it was too late to stop her, she added.
Lojo’s sister Irene was supposed to fix things before Lojo could go home to their province and see their parents there, Pontillo said. The victim had eight siblings.
This was the second time a woman committed suicide at the popular mall chain.
Last February 14, on the evening of Valentine’s Day, Madonna Guanzon, 48, also jumped from the fifth floor of a mall in Mandaluyong after fighting with her female lover over a cell phone message, the security guards of the mall said. SFM