'No foul play in death of Guingona grandson'

MANILA, Philippines - Police investigators have ruled out foul play in the death of the 20-year-old grandson of former vice president Teofisto Guingona and nephew of Sen. Teofisto Guingona III.

Senior Superintendent Ramiro Bausa, Muntinlupa police chief, said statements of the witnesses would show that Martin Guingona Lamb jumped to his death from the 31st floor of Vivere Hotel in Alabang at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday.

“We consider this case closed,” Bausa told The STAR.

The list of witnesses included waiters, a sanitation officer, a security guard, and Lamb’s longtime friend Miguel Enrique, 22, who was the last person seen with him.

Bausa said the motive behind the suicide was “not clear” because Enrique “did not elaborate.”

Lamb arrived at the hotel’s Sky Lounge Restobar, an open-air restaurant, at about 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

He was alone until Enrique joined him at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Chief Inspector Giovanni Martinez, head of the police’s intelligence division, said footages from the hotel’s surveillance camera showed Lamb going back and forth from his table to the restaurant’s viewing deck about eight to 10 times.

When Enrique arrived, the two moved to another table where they drank beer and talked until 2:30 a.m.

They were about to get into the elevator with security guard Jerry Carnaje, who informed them that the bar was already closing, but Lamb decided to stay.

The two hugged each other before Enrique left to get his car based on the camera footage, Martinez said.

Lamb asked for a glass of water and then looked at the railings again, until his attention was called by bar captain Christian Ginete.

Ginete told Lamb to take a seat while he called Carnaje to accompany Lamb.

But before Ginete could leave the Sky Lounge, sanitation officer Theresa Lazo shouted, “Tumalon na (he jumped)!”

Martinez said that Lamb told Enrique not to “tell the people about my intention.”

But Enrique did not go into details about what the victim actually meant, Bausa said.