Comelec employee jumps to his death

AN Election Assistant of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Tuburan, northern Cebu, died after he reportedly jumped off the third floor of a mall in Cebu City yesterday.

SPO2 Wetzel Berry, of the Cebu City Police Office-Homicide Section, said Rodrigo Maglasang arrived at the mall yesterday morning with his siblings.

Berry said that around noon, an employee of a candy store saw Maglasang walking around the center spiral stairs, holding the railings.

“Ang usa ka customer nakugang nalang daw siya pagkita niya nga ni-ambak na ang biktima,” Berry said.

(A customer was taken aback and was unable to move when she saw Maglasang jump off the stairs.)

Berry said that Maglasang jumped off from the third floor of the mall and landed in the basement.

He was immediately brought to Chong Hua Hospital in Mandaue City but was declared dead on arrival at around 1:20 p.m.

The police officer said the victim’s brother, Alvin Maglasang said Rodrigo was a loner and would not share his problems with his family.

“Hilomon daw ni ilang igsoon. Dili makigstorya kun adunay problema. Wala sila kahibaw kung unsay problema sa biktima kun love life, financial, o tungod sa trabaho iyang problema,” Berry said.

(According to the family their brother was very quiet and seldom talked to his family about his problems. The family said that they have no idea what problems he faced whether financial, love life, or work-related)

Berry said that based on the statements of the family, Maglasang committed suicide.

Mall management said that they will cooperate with the police.

Maglasang, who had been with the Comelec for nine years, was assigned as clerk of the poll office in Tuburan town, northern Cebu.

But he had been on sick leave for three weeks due to a lung ailment, said Comelec provincial supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano, in an interview over dyLA.

He and his siblings came from Palompon town in Leyte on board separate fastcraft on Tuesday and went directly to the mall near the reclamation area.