Farmer dies while gathering tuba

A farmer who left home to gather tuba last Saturday morning was found dead that same afternoon up the tree he climbed to harvest in sitio Ubos, barangay Cabonga-an, San Francisco town.

Romeo Caballes 36, a resident of the place, was found dead by his in-laws and wife Geralyn after they saw his body hanging unmoving and precarious up the tree.

Romeo's father Isabelo, a resident of sitio Poo, barangay Esperanza, of the same town went to the town's police station and reported that his son was found dead up the coconut tree which was about 70 meters from their house.

Isabelo told policemen that Romeo left his house around 6:30 a.m. Saturday to gather tuba, but after an hour Geralyn became worried and went out to look for him. She found his body precariously hanging from the top of a coconut tree, Romeo's mouth and nose were reportedly bleeding when he was found. Romeo's in-laws brought the body down and took it to the Island Funeral Parlor where funeral worker Lourdes Tampus said she noticed a wound below the fatality's right shoulder. They advised that an autopsy be performed on the body.

The town's Officer-in-Charge, Insp. Amadeo Pepito told The Freeman yesterday that they are waiting for the autopsy reports that will determine if the said wound was fatal and what could have caused it. Pepito added that based on their investigation Romeo has no known enemies, but Geralyn allegedly said that her husband had the tendency to commit suicide because of certain illnesses he was suffering from. - Norvie S. Misa, correspondent