Hard-headedness,Disobedience To Parental Advice Leads To A Fatal Fall

Feb. 11,2010
Hard-headedness, Disobedience To Parental Advice Leads To A Fatal Fall
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A 12-year-old boy who frequently climbed the star-apple tree in their neighborhood during its fruiting seasons and disregard his father’s advice to stop climbing it, suffered a fatal fall after eating some ripe fruits atop the tree when he accidentally slipped.
The victim was identified as Jomar Labiña, a grade 5 pupil of the Ibarra Elementary School, and a resident of this particular barangay, which is 4 kilometers away from the city.
In an interview with LSDE in sitio Estrella Nelson Casinillo,49 y ears old, married, a caretaker of the lot where there were several fruit-bearing star-apple trees, pointed to a tree where the victim had fallen. He said the victim and his schoolmate have climbed to get some ripe star-apple fruits.
Casinillo also pointed to its branch that cracked up under the victim’s weight as he took hold firmly for its support when he accidentally slid and fell below on his way to the main trunck.But the brittle branch has remained hanging during a visit to this correspondent.
He said that the 2 boys have already eaten some fruits while atop the star-apple tree before the victim accidentally fell below, hitting his neck on the protruding huge root, about 20 feet from the ground.
The caretaker disclosed that this was the very first time that a boy in their neighborhood who climbed the star-apple tree during fruiting season, had fallen from it and died.
“Even before there was no incident like this,” he said, “we do not allow any boy asking permission from us to climb the star-apple tree to get some ripe fruits”.
He explained he was cautious on allowing any boy in their neighborhood to climb the star-apple tree as he was apprehensive if anything would happen to him that his parents might blame him(the caretaker) for any fatal accident or otherwise.
Aurelia Labiña-Jorta,45 years old,married,who is the victim’s first cousin, said that Leo Arbiol-Jorta,13 years old, a grade 6 pupil and a relative of Jomar reported to them and informed her about the sad incident.
She said she hysterically rushed to the scene and cradled the victim to their resident. She then hired a motorcab that brought them to the provincial hospital.However, the young boy died before reaching their destination.
The victim’s cousin said that according to the lady doctor on-duty, whom she failed to identify, told her that a principal vein on the boy’s neck might have been cut upon hitting it on the huge protruding root resulting to his early death.
She said the left side of the boy’s neck has a large hematoma,a fractured nose, a hematoma on his forehead and his face had swollen.
Casinillo further informed he is now considering cutting that particular star-apple tree to avoid another accidental fatal fall of any boy in their place. In fact he said, another two boys had asked permission from him to climb in the star-apple tree to get some fruits.
However, he refused to allow them to climb, although the 2 boys were insistence, he said. There are 9 star-apple trees that bear fruits during season in sitio Estrella, Ibarra where the family of the victim is residing.
The victim’s father, who does not want to be named, moreover revealed that in several occasions he has warned his victim-son to stop climbing up in any star-apple tree in the neighborhood to avoid accidental fall.
Nevertheless, his son who seemed to be hard-headed and disobedient to his parents, disregard his father’s advice and went on with his star-apple climbing, saying,”Ah, kung mahagbong,, mamatay!”(If I’ll fall, I’ll die!)
Thus reaping his own utterance of premonition.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)