Young siomai vendor takes own life after losing P14K from debit card

By Jennifer P. Rendon

TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE

P14,000 might not be much for some of us, but for a 22-year-old man that amount was his only chance of owning a motorcycle.

And when he lost it, Nonoy (not his real name) resorted to ending his life.

Nonoy was found dead evening of April 17 in a vacant housing project unit for Typhoon Yolanda survivors at Barangay Magdalo, Banate, Iloilo.

It all started when Nonoy lost his wallet containing his Cebuana Lhuillier debit card among other personal items on Sunday.

His debit card had around P14,000, which he has been saving for two years because he wanted to buy a motorcycle.

His wallet was found at Barangay Carmelo on the same day. But when he checked, the 14,000 cash was already withdrawn.

Master Sergeant Joelito Babayo II, Banate police investigator, said the victim drowned himself in liquor early Sunday evening.

His siblings began to worry after he did not go home until his elder brother found him in the housing project.

Babayo said they initially wanted to investigate who stole the money from the victim’s debit card.

But his family declined further investigation and autopsy, as they are convinced that there was no foul play in his death.

Nonoy is the 30th person who died by suicide in Iloilo province since the start of the year.

A couple of weeks ago, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) sounded alarm over the series of suicide incidents recently.

In 2019, IPPO recorded 82 suicide cases.

It rose to 91 in 2020 and 98 in 2021.

Iloilo province has the most number of suicide incidents in Western Visayas for the first quarter of the year.

The Department of Health has constantly reminded those who have problems or those who knew individuals who are at risk of committing suicides that they could seek help mental health crisis intervention:

The suicide prevention hotline of the Center for Health Development – Western Visayas:

1-800-10-333-8336

09985324047

09255469919

WVSUMC – 3202431 loc. 162 or 209

3292360

WVMC – 3211797 loc. 186

5037708

PMHU – 5298109