CEBU, Philippines - Too much love can kill you, so the famous song goes, which might have held true to two young men who killed themselves after their girlfriends left them.
In Barangay Punta Princesa, Andres Torres, 53, found the body of his son Castel hanging lifeless from the branch of a mansanitas tree around 3am yesterday. A nylon rope was tied around his neck.
Castel, 18, was a third year student at Punta Princesa National High School.
Torres said his son woke up very early yesterday and told him he would check their livestock outside the house. Torres said he became suspicious when he saw Castel's mobile phone on the table because his son never left his phone, especially when he started courting someone.
With his son's phone in hand, Torres went outside the house to look for Castel only to find him later hanging lifeless from the mansanitas tree.
Aside from the strangulation marks on Castel's neck, no other external injuries would suggest foul play.
Investigators later discovered text messages in Castel's mobile phone that came from his girlfriend, which said their relationship is over.
Five hours later in Sunset Drive, Barangay Lahug, Ricky Gabucano, 21, found his friend Dennis Listoni, 25, dead inside the latter's room, a rope around his neck.
Gabucano said he decided to check on his friend after he received "suicidal" text messages from him. Listoni's room is located at the ground floor of the house where they are staying.
Gabucano said Listoni was reportedly on a semi-kneeling position when he found him, his feet touching the ground. Investigators said Listoni might have forced himself downwards to choke himself with the rope.
Aside from Gabucano, a 17-year-old girl that Listoni was courting for months also received the "suicidal" text messages.
"Within 30 minutes tawagi ning numbera kay patay na ko (within 30 minutes, call this number because I'm already dead)," the girl quoted Listoni's text message.
Listoni reportedly said he and the girl were an item, but the girl insisted they were only friends.
"Class friends raman mi og di mi uyab pero siya, gi-isip ko niya nga uyab," she said.
The victim was last seen alive at around 10 pm last Monday near their house drinking with several of his neighbors and friends. The victim also reportedly told his drinking buddies of his intention to commit suicide, but his friends did not take his words seriously.
Listoni's mother, Evelyn, 52, said her son has long been depressed over his "complicated" relationship with a girl, but never thought that he could kill himself.
Listoni was supposed to take an Alternative Learning System (ALS) assessment test later this month for college, she said. - THE FREEMAN