With calculator, ‘payslip’ in hand, man tries suicide
-A A +AThursday, July 5, 2012
CEBU CITY – A case of alarm and scandal will be filed against a man who attempted to jump from a four-storey building Wednesday morning.
Ben (name withheld), a security guard, attempted to jump from the building carrying with him a calculator and slip of paper, which was believed to be his payslip, after he complained of his low pay and erratic working shifts.
It took nearly five hours of negotiation by the operatives and the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) 7 for Ben, 42, a native from Daanbantayan, to go down from the rooftop of a building undergoing construction at the corner of D. Jakosalem and F. Ramos St., beside the Zapatera Barangay Hall.
Upon the negotiation led by Superintendent Rex Derilo, Ben was offered P5,000 as he reportedly has financial problems.
Ben will also be undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
Incident
Ben reportedly climbed to the rooftop and walked on the four-inch wide beam at 4 a.m. Wednesday.
He alleged that his co-workers tried to maul him so he went up in order not to get caught.
But his co-workers denied his allegation saying Ben has financial and personal problems.
His co-worker, who refused to be named, said that last Tuesday night, Ben was arguing with someone over the phone. He then went to the store to drink beer.
He reportedly complained about his salary, which is just half of the minimum wage, and his working shifts, which last up to 12 hours.
His co-worker said that, at dawn, they were awakened by the shouts of Ben at the rooftop.
Ben is a stay-in security guard in the construction site.
Derilo, the lead negotiator of the incident, happened to pass by and noticed the commotion above the building.
Derilo also attempted to climb the building, with the use of a ladder, to convince Ben to go down.
The security guard was offered cash, food, and his agency, Visda Agency, was even contacted for him to come down, but he refused.
“Tinarung man ang pagdala sa tawo sa among agency (Our agency treats them well),” said a Visda Agency representative in an interview with TV Patrol Cebu.
Argument
At 8:30 a.m., without any reason, Ben decided to go down with the help of his cousin, who also tried to negotiate with him. He was then brought to the Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) for questioning.
IDMB Chief Bonifacio Garciano said that upon their conversation with Ben, he noticed that he could not answer correctly and talked about a lot of things.
“It is best that he should undergo psychiatric checkup, maybe that could be the reason why he climbed the building,” said Garciano.
As of Wednesday, Ben was still under police custody for medical examination. (JBT of Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on July 05, 2012.
Local news
Forum rules: Do not use obscenity. Some words have been banned. Stick to the topic. Do not veer away from the discussion. Be coherent and respectful. Do not shout or use CAPITAL LETTERS!
