Businessman commits suicide in front of cop in Albay

LEGAZPI CITY—A businessman, driven by despair over his girlfriend’s plan of breaking up their relationship, committed suicide in front of policemen on Wednesday morning in Guinobatan town in Albay province.

Report from Guinobatan police said victim Dexter N. Moratalla Jr., 24, shot himself in the head with a 9 mm pistol while speaking with Senior Police Officer 1 Merwin Lingcaso who responded to the call for help from Maryjane M. Binaraba, 27, Moratalla’s girlfriend, in Zamora Street at the town’s center at around 8 a.m.

Binabara said Moratalla was “unruly” due to their arguments.

According to authorities, Binaraba wanted to break up with Moratalla, but the businessman refused. Moratalla died while being taken to the hospital.

The victim was a manager of the Nueva Ecija branch of his brother’s hydraulic hose center which has a main branch in Camalig town, also in Albay.

Police Chief Inspector Ma. Cecilia R. Zuñiga, Guinobatan police officer-in-charge, said that they have already forwarded a letter to Civil Security Group to verify whether the victim was authorized to
carry a firearm and to post-match the firearm to determine whether the gun was used in any incident prior to the victim’s suicide.

This is the third suicide incident recorded in the town since the start of the year.

In 2016, Albay police recorded 24 incidents of suicide around the province. Twenty-one of the victims were male. Since January of this year, Albay has recorded eight incidents of suicide. JE