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Saturday, January 26, 2008
Mechanic plays with grenade, killed by blast
By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- A mechanic who got drunk with his friends died hours after a grenade he was playing with exploded on top of a taxicab's hood Friday morning in Barangay Sambag I, Cebu City.
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Edwin Segarino, 27, was allegedly playing around with the grenade in Sitio Katungdanan - the Cebuano word for "duty" - that even his drinking buddies asked him to put it away.
Segarino did not listen and as he hit the hood of the Toyota Corolla MB taxi with the grenade, it exploded. Before that, he reportedly also hit a parked jeepney but it did not explode.
He died past 9 a.m. Friday. Aside from his left hand, some of the fingers on his right hand were also missing.
The explosion left a deep crater in the taxi's engine. It also damaged the glass windows of a Hyundai Porter van parked beside the taxi.
Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador Jr. told reporters Friday that the initial report they got was that Segarino had committed suicide.
But when operatives arrived in the area, it appeared to have been accidental.
Comendador said they have yet to determine if the blast was indeed accidental or deliberate.
He added that it took awhile for the responders to take Segarino to the Cebu City Medical Center because they were looking for his left hand.
Comendador hopes to recover some parts of the grenade such as its serial number or lot number so they can trace the source. He said, though, that there have been reports that illegally produced grenades are circulating.
Larry Suchesa said that Segarino, his half-brother, was the breadwinner in a family of nine children. He reportedly kept sending money to their hometown in Tabango, Leyte.
One of his drinking buddies claimed that while they were drinking, Segarino mentioned the death of his younger brother in Tabango. Segarino had said that the perpetrator remained at large.
Other than his brother's death, Segarino did not mention any problem that bothered him.
They also told police that Segarino had already gone home and they were surprised when he returned, bringing the grenade.
They kept telling him to put it away but because he wouldn't, they decided to leave the area for fear it would explode.
His family members also could not say how he got hold of the grenade. They described him as a quiet person and he did not mention any problems to the family. (Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (January 26, 2008 issue)
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