Suicide try ends in homicide

CEBU, Philippines - One man’s attempt to end his own life resulted in the end of another man’s life instead.

This after a man said to be suffering from mental problems jumped off the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge last Wednesday night, landing on and killing a fisherman in the water below.

Aniano Berdin, 30, of Barangay Babag Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, jumped off the bridge hoping to drown, but as fate would have it he landed in the water on top of Danilo Sison, 59, who was spearfishing that night.

Sison, a resident of Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City, was immediately brought by the responding rescue team to the nearby Mactan Doctors Hospital but he died a few minutes after arrival due to the strong impact of the hit.

Berdin himself only suffered a bruise in the right eye.

Lapu-Lapu City police chief Rey Lyndon Lawas said that Berdin is now detained in Police Station 3 in Barangay Gun-ob. As of last night, Lawas said that they are still waiting for the death certificate of the victim so they can file homicide charges against Berdin.

Lawas said the family of Berdin explained that Berdin suffers from mental problems but claimed they do not know of any recent problem he might be having that may lead him to try suicide.

Lawas said Berdin jumped off the part of the bridge close to the Mactan side, they are not sure how high Berdin jumped from because no one saw him jump. Lawas added that they knew of the incident only after they received a call from someone in the area that a fisherman was hurt.

Last year, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia pleaded with the public not to carry out suicide attempts in any of the two bridges.

The Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board last year decided to put in 45 close-circuit television cameras in both bridges and to have old cameras replaced as well. MCBMB has also spent P2.5 million a year for five guards to man the area in eight-hour shifts.

Governor Garcia said that despite the presence of cameras, the guards should still be very watchful and alert.

Garcia also requested the Lapu-Lapu City police to have a crowd control system since incidents like these attract a lot of attention and cause traffic congestion.

Just last year, in a span of under a month, there were three suicide attempts in the two bridges. —/BRP (FREEMAN)