The mother of a 25-year-old man who died after falling into an open drainage along Friendship Highway in Barangay Cutcut, Angeles City, Pampanga, plans to file a case over the incident.

Francis Marie Novero, mother of victim Reiner Novero, said Tuesday in an interview with DZRH’s Damdaming Bayan that her family is considering legal action, saying the drainage posed a danger to pedestrians.

The incident happened Friday, Aug. 28, as Reiner was walking home to his temporary residence in Pampanga.

CCTV footage that circulated on social media showed Reiner walking along the sidewalk near the flooded drainage before suddenly falling into the opening.

Novero said her son appeared to be looking at the path as he walked and that there were no visible warnings about the open drainage.

“Kasi medyo may taas ng tubig at wala pong time. Wala pong nagbababala na merong butas dun,” the mother said.

She described that the drainage opening was large enough for two people when she inspected the area on the day her son was brought to the wake.

By then, however, authorities had already placed a cover over the opening.

“Ako mismo ang nakasaksi na ang butas ay kasya ang dalawang tao. Pero yung lugar na po nun pagpunta ko nung araw na yun, may cover na po siya.”

Novero said she recorded a video of the drainage and observed the movement of the water underneath even though it was not raining at the time.

She also expressed disappointment over the lack of immediate assistance from the Angeles City government.

“Kung hindi nag-viral ang anak ko, kung walang call out from the public, mag-offer ba sila ng gano'ng assistance?”

According to Novero, her family did not receive a call from the city government until Sunday night, after the CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral.

“Wala po kaming narinig, wala po kaming assistance na narinig coming from them. Inuwi ko po siya a day after kong iburol dito sa kung saan talaga kami nakatira.”

She said the family is not primarily seeking financial assistance but wants authorities to take responsibility for ensuring the safety of pedestrians.

Novero said she intends to pursue legal action once the family has completed preparations for Reiner’s burial, which is planned for Saturday.

“Yung ilalaban namin hindi lang danyos yung habol ko eh,” she said.

“Talagang balak ko po magsampa ang kaso,” the mother added.

She also defended her son against social media comments blaming him for the incident.

Novero said Reiner was a well-mannered person and denied claims in some online comments that he was under the influence of drugs.

She appealed to the public to be more sensitive when commenting about the incident, saying Reiner’s siblings have been hurt by memes and TikTok posts making fun of his death.

“Maging sensitive po tayo sa pag-komento. Alamin natin yung nangyayari, maging sensitive kayo sa emotion ng mga tao.”

She also asked for help in having such content removed from social media.

Novero urged local authorities to conduct regular inspections of drainage openings and other potentially dangerous areas, saying the safety of residents should be among their responsibilities.

“Naniniwala ako na every city, responsibilidad nila [ang] safety ng kanilang mga mamamayan.”

Reiner was reportedly found dead nearly an hour after he fell into the drainage, at a location some distance from where the incident occurred.