A 50-YEAR-OLD farmer attempted to jump-off the 50-foot high acacia tree Sunday evening at the Bacolod Public Plaza.
Bacolod City deputy fire marshal Inspector Publio Ploteña identified the farmer as Domingo Emboltorio of Barangay Juvellar in the town of Igbaras, province of Iloilo.
Emboltero climbed the 50-foot high acacia and tried to jump-off from it.
Responding elements of Police Station 1 cordoned the area and, together with BFP personnel, tried to convince Emboltorio to go down from the tree.
Ploteña said Emboltorio asked money from them so that he could go home to Iloilo. Emboltorio claimed he decided to climb the acacia tree because he was allegedly being chased by unidentified men in the public plaza, Ploteña added.
The negotiation lasted for almost three hours until Emboltorio decided to go down from the tree after the PNP and BFP personnel assured him that they will give him money for his fare back home to Iloilo.
Emboltorio was brought to the BFP central station in Barangay 8 and was given food but, several minutes later, he attempted to stab his neck with a fork. The farmer sustained minor injuries and was rushed to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital but was later also released.
Emboltorio's daughter, Cremelyn Emboltorio, in the meantime, said his father was here to attend the wake of her mother in Isabela town, Negros Occidental last Thursday.
She said they haven't seen their father for almost 25 years now. She added they did not notice anything wrong with his father.