By AARON RECUENCO, LIEZLE BASA IÑIGO
It was supposed to be a playful act possibly intended for social media posting. But the “show” ended tragically.
At the start, the 54-year old farmer Samsun Pinto appeared to be enjoying with his “suicide by hanging” joke in front of his minor audience who were taking video of his act under a tree in Barangay San Vicente, Alcala, Pangasinan at noon on Monday.
But on his third try, the noose that he made from a rope accidentally tightened and eventually suffocated him to death.
Initially, local investigators said the minors thought that the scenario of Pinto panicking to loosen the rope while gasping for breath was part of the show, but the laughter turned into a horrible scene for them.
“Nagtatawanan pa sila at masayang nakakuha ng video sa fake suicide na naging totoo naman na,” police quoted the victim’s neighbor as saying.
Pinto was taken to the nearby clinic where he was declared dead.
Mental health experts have been advising the public, particularly those active in social media, not to joke about suicide amid the stress and depression brought by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
