Bullied Batangas HS student who killed self laid to rest

BATANGAS, Philippines – “You promised to take care of me when I grow old, but you left me.”

Holding back tears, Marilou Gunay recalled her last moments with her 14-year-old son Lee, who shot himself with a .45-caliber pistol on the night of March 18, during necrological rites on Tuesday.

Lee, according to his cousin Shaina, had suffered constant bullying from his classmates that could have led to his failing his Math subject.

Lee, a high school sophomore at St. Bridget College, was laid to rest at Eternal Gardens in Batangas City on Tuesday.

Mrs. Gunay, a Math teacher at the Batangas National High School, recounted: “He was extra sweet the last night before he committed suicide, he came back to our room thrice just to say ‘I love you mommy’ while hugging me.”

For his part, Lee’s father Willy called on his son’s friends to help his family recover from their loss.

He said Lee’s friends as well as his teachers knew what led to his son’s suicide.

According to Shaina, she managed to access the Facebook wall of Lee’s group called “2-Gratitude” and there read a message from someone saying that they should stop bullying her cousin.

During the necrological rites, Lee’s older sister Wilma, a nurse in Dubai, shared her happy moments with her brother.