Jailed ex-dean hangs self, says sorry

CEBU, Philippines - An inmate at the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan ended his life yesterday morning by hanging himself inside the conjugal room located at the third floor of the detention center.

The inmate was identified as Samuel Mabida, 50, a resident of Barangay Pardo, Cebu City and a native of San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. He was professor and dean of the graduate school in Andres Bonifacio College in Dipolog City before he was arrested and jailed for illegal recruitment charges.

Another inmate, Ronald Zamayla, said he went into the conjugal room to give a fellow inmate a massage when he saw Mabida already hanging lifeless from the ceiling. He immediately notified the nurse on duty and other personnel who, in turn, sought assistance from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF).

The ERUF personnel tried to revive the inmate, but failed. Mabida reportedly no longer had a pulse when the ERUF personnel arrived.

Mabida’s wife, Shobe Jane, 26, said her husband had been very depressed and miserable and even mentioned that he would commit suicide.

This was confirmed through the six sheets of suicide note that investigators recovered together with Mabida’s belongings.

Mabida wrote that he was very depressed about what happened to him and that he felt sorry of what he had done. He said he was thankful to have his wife and children and that if his Shobe Jane wants to marry anew, she should make sure that she would have a “good” partner.

He wrote further that he was able to do the criminal acts for the sake of his family. He was facing two cases for illegal recruitment.

Police said that aside from the strangulation mark on Mabida’s neck, he sustained no other injury nor his body manifested signs of struggle that would suggest foul play. (FREEMAN)