A man climbs atop a SMART billboard on Gen. Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City past 8 p.m. He was coaxed to come down by about 10 pm by Cebu City VIce Mayor Edgardo Labella. (CDN PHOTO/ CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
Loud cheers and applause broke out after an 18-year-old man climbed down a billboard after more than an hour of negotiation along General Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City.
A crowd had gathered on the road soon after the man in denim shorts and a white shirt was seen sitting atop the nine-storey-high SMART billboard past 8 p.m.
Spectators feared he would jump.
Authorities later said the man, a native of Davao province, was burdened by family problems.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, using a megaphone, appealed to him to come down. He promised him food.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella convinces the potential billboard jumper to stop attempt. (CDN PHOTO/ CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
“Bai, naog na dira bai. Kitang tanang tawo naay problema. Ali na, kanaog na diri,” Labella called out. (My friend, come down. We all have problems. Come on, get down here.)
It was around 10p.m. when the man on the billboard responded and shouted back.
He was taken to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) where he was given a meal of fried chicken and a cold soft drink, as promised.
PO2 Anthony Vallejo of the Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) said a concerned citizen called to alert them about the potential “jumper” at 8:45 p.m.
A fireman had to destroy the wire fence surrounding the foot of the billboard to allow the vice mayor to enter the area.
When the man descended on his own, Vice Mayor Labella embraced him. The man was immediately covered in a green cloth and taken to a waiting ambulance where he was given food.
As an editorial policy, Cebu Daily News does not give the idenity of persons who attempt suicide.
Traffic on the road was diverted for the emergency. A cordon was set up to keep spectators at a distance, while a fire truck parked nearby.