CONTRARY to reports, the UST Architecture student who committed suicide last month did not do so because he failed his thesis subject.
According to Marina Raner, mother of Architecture senior Mariano Raner IV, her son was not even taking his thesis subject.
Raner IV was found dead last Feb. 9 inside his parents’ room. He apparently shot himself with his father’s gun.
Mrs. Raner said there could be several reasons for the suicide.
She said a “love” could be a distinct possibility. She said her son had courted a co-worker in a restaurant, but it did not prosper because it was against the diner’s policy.
Mrs. Raner also cited the pressure on Mariano to perform well in his studies because he was an only child.
Mrs. Raner said his son seemed to have had an inordinate interest in the paranormal.
“Since he did not leave any suicide note, I searched his room to look for clues as to why he killed himself,” she said. “Marami akong nahanap na magic cards, comic books at posters na parang hindi tama. May nahanap pa nga kami sa files niya sa computer and this small notebook with writings of not-so-good things.”
Mariano Raner III, the victim’s father, agreed.
“He has this fascination for things related to the ‘spirit world’,” he said.
Mr. Raner III added his son’s exposure to violent images on the Internet, multimedia, and death-themed shows like “Samurai X” and “dark” movies like “Lord of the Rings: Two Towers” could have helped trigger the suicide.
“I think there were series of events as early as 2001, during his thesis proposals, that led to what happened. Maybe these, combined with those death-themed shows he watched, somehow influenced him to commit suicide,” Mr. Mariano III said.
But the Raners are resigned to the fact of their son’s death.
“We feel that what happened to our child is destiny,” Mrs. Raner said. “No matter how he died or why he died, that day was his day to die. Although it hurts us as he is our only child, we cannot do anything about it.”
“With ‘Ranee’ as my only son, I feel sad,” Mr. Raner III said. “He had so many dreams that I wished for him to succeed in, but this happened. My only consolation now is knowing that he is now in a better place.” Elka Krystle R. Requinta
