Woman survives 11-floor fall, lands in condo pool

MANILA, Philippines -  A woman survived yesterday an 11-floor fall from a balcony of a condominium in Makati City when she landed in the swimming pool.

Makati police chief Senior Superintendent Froilan Bonifacio identified the victim as Ildelyn Montono, 20, a tenant of the Paseo Parkview Suites condominium along Valero street in Salcedo Village.

Police Officer 3 Ador Robles said Montono, who was wearing a shirt and a pair of shorts, reportedly jumped from the balcony of her unit at the 18th floor at around 9:48 a.m. and landed in the swimming pool on the seventh floor.

“Lucky for her, she landed in the swimming pool and survived. Had she landed on concrete, she surely would have died,” Robles said.

Police said the condominium’s security guards reported that Montono was alone in her condominium unit when she jumped. Montono left the condominium last night with her Korean boyfriend, identified as Sae Um Lee, according to the initial police reports. The guards told police that Montono, already drunk, returned alone.

Robles said they are checking Montono’s mental condition at the time she decided to jump from the balcony. The victim was rushed by a Lifeline ambulance to the Makati Medical Center shortly after she landed in the pool, police said.

Police said that as of 6 p.m. last night, Montono was supposed to undergo surgery to remove water from her lungs.

On Feb. 2, a 62-year-old German businessman also leapt to his death from the 16th-floor balcony of the Ritz Towers condominium along Ayala Avenue.