Maritime student dies in fall from Mandaluyong condo

MANILA, Philippines—Residents in Barangay (village) Malamig in Mandaluyong City got the shock of their lives on Monday when they were suddenly faced with a gruesome scene in front of them early Monday morning: a dead man sprawled on the canopy of a building.

Based on initial investigation, the man, identified as Luke Daryl Santos, 19, had plunged to his death from his condominium unit on the ninth floor of the Globe Asiatique Tower 1 on Cordillera St. around 5:30 a.m., Senior Supt. Florendo Quibuyen, chief of police, said.

SPO1 Marlon Climacosa, investigator on case, said the victim was only supposed to give his friend Brian Deveza the pair of slippers he had left behind at unit 922 when Santos suddenly ran and jumped from a kitchen window to the canopy below.

Quibuyen said Santos, a student at the Philippine Maritime Institute, was dead on the spot.

According to Climacosa, the victim’s mother, Marissa, who was seated at the dining table, tried to run after her son to stop him from jumping out of the window but didn’t get to him in time.

Marissa sustained injuries in the arm in the process.

Climacosa said that prior to the jump, Deveza saw Santos walking dangerously near the railing overlooking a street, also on the ninth floor.

Deveza told investigators that he and Santos had just arrived from a drinking session.

According to Climacosa, Santos had no key to the main door of the condominium, and asked Deveza to wait outside the main entrance while he went around to try to access the unit from somewhere else.

“But he didn’t come back after 15 minutes so (Deveza) looked for him (and found him near the railing),” Climacosa said.

Deveza and Marissa, who had woken up by this time, only managed to keep Santos away from the railing and took him inside the unit, Climacosa said.

Quibuyen said that although no suicide note was found, based on interviews with some of the victim’s friends, Santos was having a hard time coping with family problems.

The Inquirer later learnt Santos’ parents recently separated.

Jason Rase, desk officer of Barangay Malamig, however, said Santos, during the drinking session in Daang Bangkal village reportedly cried to his friends over his love problems.

While Quibuyen said the police were initially looking at suicide, he said they were not discounting the possibility of foul play.—With Jamie Marie Elona, INQUIRER.net

Originally posted at 10:01 am | Monday, January 21, 2013