Policeman’s death: suicide or accident?

By Paulo DS. Papa

NAGA CITY --- Police Senior Master Sergeant Tobias Bongon III, spokesperson of Naga City Police Office (NCPO) admitted that the investigators have yet to determine the facts about Police Corporal Jay Jalapatan’s death.

To recall, in the morning of Sept. 18, Saturday, Jalapatan, 30 years old of Barangay Milagrosa, Carmona town in Cavite and a member of the intelligence team of Cavite Provincial Police Office, was found dead, topless, wearing police athletics shorts and floating along the Bicol river invicinity of Zone 2, Barangay Mabulo, Naga City.

The victim allegedly committed suicide due to financial and family crises he faced according to a police report released to the local media last Sunday, Sept. 18.

Police report said that prior to his death, Jalapatan, at 11:20am of Sept. 16, Friday traveled from Matnog town, Sorsogon province with his teammates Police Chief Master Sergeant Ru De Asas, Police Chief Master Sergeant Sancho Michael Libunao and Patrolman Joselito Torres. The team arrived in Naga City at 7:20 in the evening of the said date and stopped over at a private residence in Hardin Real subdivision, Barangay Concepcion Grande.

Bongon said, the team, in the evening of the same date, went to a liquor store in Barangay San Francisco to have a drinking spree but Jalapatan was observed by his companions bothered, walking back and forth from the store to Colgante Bridge.Jalapatan was not tracked again by his teammates.

The NCPO spokesperson added that according to the autopsy results, Jalapatan’s cause of death was drowning. No signs of struggle and accident injuries noted in his body.

“Mayo pa kitang pwedeng masabi na idto accident or suicide ta mayo pa kitang complete investigation before. An sabi ngani kan sa SOCO, si team leader, drowning lang and dae man nasabi na aksidente or dae ta mayo man nin physical harm na narisa” Bongon said in a voice message.