Man comes down from Fernan bridge tower

CEBU, Philippines - The mystery man who has stayed on top of one of the towers of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge finally descended from his perch after almost 44 hours of no food and water. He was arrested immediately.

The man, who was identified as Jecy Mollena, 20, and a native of Don Carlos, Bukidnon, but living in Catmon town, came down from one of the bridge towers about 11:20 a.m. yesterday after he experienced severe hunger.

According to Insp. Winston Piñaranda of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Mollena tied a rope around his waist and fastened the rope to a cable beam of the bridge and began to climb down, occasionally moving sideways along the beams.

The rope had earlier been given to him by Supt. Clifford Gairanod, Deputy City Director for Operations and Insp. Haciento Mandal, chief of the Special Weapon and Tactics team during their negotiation with Mollena on Thursday.

“Nanghangyo mana ug pisi maong gihatagan pero wala pa siya munaog ato,” Piñaranda said.

Mollena was not able to use his ladder since he tied it to a live wire which he cut from the wirings in the tower without knowing that the wires will automatically function from 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

Before he could get off from the cable beam, police immediately grabbed Mollena and subdued him as he was still armed with a bolo.

He was brought to the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office while personnel from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation checked his condition. Apart from his hunger and burns to his legs from the sun-heated cable beams he did not appear to have any other problems.

During investigation Mollena said he climbed the tower to wait for a ship to pass by so he can jump on board and go home to Mindanao.

“Naglakaw ra gyud ko gikan sa amo unya ganahan nako muoli maong gaatang kog barko,” Mollena said in an interview over dyAB.

He also said that his parents were Geomides Mollena and Julianita Mollena.

LCPO Director Anthony Obenza said that it was hard to rely solely on Mollena’s statements as he appeared to be mentally ill.

“Sa iyang tinubagan, dili maigo ang pangutana, magsumpaki ang estorya murag dunay possibility nga naay gamay,” Obenza said.

Mollena’s birthplace was Don Carlos, Bukidnon, but he claimed that he lived in Barangay Basak, Carmen town. But Carmen police officers said that Barangay Basak is not in Carmen but in nearby Catmon town.

In the dyAB interview, Catmon chief Leo Ty said that barangay Basak is around three kilometers away from the national highway.

Ty added that the Mollenas are natives of the said barangay and assured to coordinate with the barangay captain of Basak in order to inform the family of the suspect.

Mollena will be charged with illegal possession of a deadly weapon, alarm and scandal and special malicious mischief on Monday at the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office.

DPWH personnel said they will probably file destruction of property and theft after he destroyed a road signage and cut the electrical wiring, but they still have to refer this to their lawyer. (FREEMAN)