Ernie Gulle Antigua Jr
A broken heart may have driven a 25-year-old call center agent to end his life by jumping off a building past midnight at the Cebu I.T. Park in Cebu City.
Ernie Gulle Antigua Jr. described his personal anguish in a farewell note on Facebook just before he leaped off the roof of the i2 building at 12:12 a.m. Saturday.
Police said footage of a CCTV camera recorded Antigua going up alone to the 12th floor.
Antiqua posted in his Facebook status: “…Gibuwagan ko nia for no reason and I just find out nga naa diay cia lain guy… well to all my friends and family thank you for all the support and guidance. I’m sorry if I fail you guys for just a girl…”
(She dumped me for no reason. I just found out that she has another guy.)
Cebu Daily News is withholding the names of the private individuals mentioned in the post.
In a comment posted minutes before he fell to his death, Antigua, an employee of Convergys, wrote: “I have a letter on my back pocket and whoever gets it pls. share it on Facebook thank you and I love you.”
In another post, he asked his friends and family not to blame the girl for what happened, saying it was he who couldn’t accept the end of the relationship.
His suicide shocked close friends.
One friend, 24-year-old John Ervin Cabillas, who verified that the Facebook post was indeed Antigua’s account, told Cebu Daily News he had no idea the call center agent was despondent.
He said Antigua, who studied computer engineering at the University of San Carlos-Talamban campus, was a “very positive and jolly” person.
They became good friends after being introduced by one of Antigua’s cousins, he said.
Another close friend of the victim, Eric Cris Limatog, a classmate in Comprehensive National High School in Mandaue, said he couldn’t believe Antigua was gone.
He remembered Antigua as someone fun to be around, who often cracked jokes when he was with friends.
“Lingaw gyud kaayo na siya jud. Komedyante ug dili na siya hilomon (He was a fun person to be with. He was always joking around. He wasn’t the silent type),” said an aunt in a separate interview. She asked not to be named.
She said she didn’t see any signs of depression, adding that her nephew was the kind to be intense in a romantic relationship.
“Sige ra gyud to siyag katawa. Pero basin naa to siya´y problema unya wa lang mi kahibaw. Usahay man gud di na siya kahibaw mugamit sa iyang heart, iya ihatag tanan, (He was always laughing but maybe he had a problem he just didn’t talk about. When it came to matters of the heart, he would give it his all),” she said.
Family members requested the police department not to release a copy of Antigua’s 6-page letter to the media because the contents involved personal matters, said SPO4 Rey Cuyos. A copy was given to police investigators.
An autopsy will be conducted, said the aunt who was with three relatives at the Rolling Hills Funeral Home in Mandaue City.
After the autopsy, his remains will be brought home to the family compound in Looc, Mandaue City for a vigil wake, she said.
Primary Properties Corp., owner of the i2 building, in a statement assured that security in the premises remains a high priority.
“PPC has had and will continue to have a strong security and safety program that is enforced by a full-time safety and security manager. We will continue to enhance our systems in securing our buildings. There is no higher priority than the safety of our employees and those who work in our commercial buildings,” said Ronald Allan Uy, head of property management.
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Call center agent leaps to his death in Cebu City over failed romance