Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Man dumped by partner jumps off building, survives
A MAN who was reportedly worried over his quarrels with his live-in partner leapt from a three-story boarding house in Barangay Sawang Calero, Cebu City yesterday afternoon.
George de Letran, 33, survived the fall but may have broken a few bones.
His left heel was severely wounded and he could barely move when paramedics rushed to his side to take him to the Cebu City Medical Center.
De Letran had reportedly been jumping from one roof to another in Sawang Calero since morning until he ended up at the Salazar building along Tupas St. at 1:50 p.m. By then, residents were already alarmed because he wanted to jump from the roof.
Members of the San Nicolas Police Station and the Mobile Patrol Group proceeded to the area and tried to keep curious onlookers at bay.
They failed, however, as bystanders flocked to Tupas St. and blocked the road.
Vehicles had to take a detour as the street was already crowded with people.
As the police tried to calm de Letran down, bystanders taunted him instead, teasing him that he did not plan to jump or else he would already have done so without waiting for the police to arrive.
Supt. Mariano Batiancela, San Nicolas police c hief, called up the Bureau of Fire Protection and asked for an aerial ladder so they could reach de Letran. An ambulance was also on standby.
When de Letran asked the rescuers if they had a cloth or net to catch him, rescuers said they did not.
Suddenly, at 2:50 p.m., de Letran jumped off the building with his legs and hands swinging until he landed on the ground.
The thick crowd that had gathered to watch him got out of the way instead of catching him.
Paramedics then rushed to his side but the crowd got to him first, pointing and asking if he had died.
“We tried to control the crowd. But no matter what we did, they outnumbered us,” Batiancela told reporters.
Police tried but failed to push the crowd away so that paramedics would have more room while attending to de Letran.
Even children crawled through the throng of adults just to get a glimpse of de Letran.
There were also reports that two civilians had climbed on the roof and taunted him, which led him to jump before policemen and fire personnel could reach him.
While the crowd was enjoying the spectacle, the police let Barangay Councilor Lito delos Santos negotiate.
Delos Santos had told de Letran that they were fetching his relatives and assured him that the police would not harm him.
Relatives of de Letran’s live-in partner said the two had been quarreling because of de Letran’s addiction to shabu. She reportedly left him.
That day, he reportedly had not eaten and sniffed shabu instead, making him high.
De Letran is originally from Ozamiz City.
Batiancela said, though, that they could not confirm yet if de Letran is a drug user.
He said they will have to check his background first and find out why he decided to jump off the building.
They are also studying if a case can be filed against him. (MEA)
