Man rescued from tree top

CEBU, Philippines - A man believed to be mentally ill was rescued off a tree after seven hours of negotiations with authorities yesterday.

The man, Rufino “Pepeng” Angcon, 42, a resident of Barangay Katangkas, Dumanjug went up a Narra tree along Natalio Bacalso Avenue around 2am and was convinced to go down only at around 9am.

Jobert Villacortiza, 42, a security guard of Marijoy Village Apartments, said he was on duty at that time when his friend alerted him that a man had gone up Narra tree located just near his post. His friend was suspecting that the man was a thief.

When Villacortiza went to the tree and checked, he saw Angcon leaning on a branch and seemingly asleep. He then sought the help of a barangay tanod who was patroling the area who, in turn, sought help from the Punta Princesa Police Station and the Mobile Patrol Group. Personnel from the two police agencies arrived moments later and started negotiating with Rufino.  

Negotiations continued until around 7am, but Angcon just moved from one tree to another, prompting authorities to get support from the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Luckily, as negotiations started to attract more people, a relative of Angcon who was passing by the area recognized him and volunteered to lead authorities to Angco’s younger sister who lives in Barangay Mambaling.

However, even with the help of Angcon’s sister, Nela, the man still refused to go down. Angcon’s sister-in-law, Atel, a resident of Barangay Mabolo, also rushed to the scene upon hearing the news from the radio.

Atel claimed that Angcon started behaving differently after he had chopped down a Dita tree. Since then, he reportedly refused food and would hide under his bed as if he was afraid of something.

“Human siya namutol og Dita (a tree), pagkaugma ana mura na siyag na lisu-an sa pangutok. Dili na siya makakaon unya motago siya ilalom sa kama sa kahadlok,” she said.

By around 9am, rescuers decided to use a boom truck to bring Angcon down the tree. He was immediately handcuffed and was brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Center for Behavioral Science.

Before he was brought to the hospital, Angcon told The FREEMAN that the reason why he went up the tree was because of existing disputes among his siblings over lands. He admitted having used drugs, but he reportedly stopped when he decided to focus on his farm work in Dumanjug town.

He denied being mentally disturbed, but admitted that he starved himself in the past few days because he had ran out of money since arriving in the city last Saturday.

The police said Rufino will not be facing any charges after his relatives proved that he is mentally ill. Atel said Rufino was supposed to be brought to the psychiatric facility but had resisted several times.

“Wala gyu’d makadala ana niya sa psych ward kay mosukol man siya,” she said. — (FREEMAN)