3 suicides in Manila, QC

MANILA, Philippines - Three persons committed suicide hours apart since Monday in Manila and Quezon City, police said yesterday.

At around 6 p.m. Monday, the body of Rolando Baltazar was found hanging by a nylon cord in his room in San Andres Bukid. He left behind a note, in which he feared being jailed for the cases filed against him by a relative.

Prior to the suicide, Baltazar had attended a hearing at a Manila court involving trespassing and malicious mischief. He told his brother that he might lose the case and land in jail.

At around 12:41 a.m. yesterday, call center agent Luis Christopher Alvarado, 26, was found dead in a hotel room along Roces Avenue in Quezon City. Police said he may have shot himself in the right temple with a .38 caliber revolver found in his hand over his shaky relationship with his girlfriend, Ethel Rodriguez, 24. He checked in at the hotel at around 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Senior Police Officer 2 Christopher Ronquillo said Alvarado was the grandson of retired General Marino Filart, former chief of the now defunct Capital Region Command. Alvarado’s father is the nephew of Filart.

Rodriguez told police the last text message she received from Alvarado was at 4:30 p.m. Monday. She learned of his death yesterday morning when one of the police investigators answered her boyfriend’s cell phone.

Rodriguez said they had a fight Friday night when she became jealous because Alvarado purportedly still contacted his former girlfriend. Rodriguez told Alvarado she wanted to break up but he refused.

At around 3 a.m. yesterday, Jovita Tribiana, 75, reportedly jumped from the Delpan bridge in Intramuros and landed on the pavement below. She was declared dead on arrival at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center.

The victim’s daughter told police her mother could no longer bear suffering from the symptoms of asthma.– Nestor Etolle, Reinir Padua