DLSU student falls to death

A 19-year-old male student of De La Salle University died after allegedly falling from the 18th floor of a condominium building in Ermita, Manila at the height of a heavy downpour Wednesday evening.

The body of Wilberto Tonogbanua, who occupied Room 1805 at the Kassel Condominium on Taft Avenue, was discovered by security guards in front of the building past 6 p.m.

The guards said they heard a loud thud preceded by a power outage in the building. When they looked outside, they found Tonogbanua’s body lying face down on the pavement.

Senior Police Officer 4 Danilo Vidad said Tonogbanua had burns all over his body and his shirt was in tatters.

“The victim could have hit the high-tension wires during the fall, resulting in the burns,” Vidad said.

Vidad said Tonogbanua lived alone in his unit. It was not yet clear whether the victim fell or committed suicide by jumping from the 18th floor of the building.

Tonogbanua’s relatives refused to talk with police investigators, according to Vidad.

Police are still conducting a follow-up investigation to determine if there was foul play involved in Tonogbanua’s death.    – Nestor Etolle