CEBU, Philippines – Two employees of Carcar municipal government were electrocuted when they accidentally hit a live wire of Cebu Electric Cooperative (CEBECO) while fixing a damaged water pump in barangay Ocaña Monday afternoon.
The fatalities were identified as Giovanni Taneo and Mark Vincent Pardillo, both personnel of the Water Task Force Engineering Department under the Department of Engineering of the municipal government.
Four of their fellow workers were injured in the incident. They are Melvin Tangaan, Christian Paras, Ulysses Panensoro, and Homer Alesna.
All the victims are contractual employees of the municipal government and residents of the barangay.
Police investigation showed that the group was fixing a damaged water pump of the barangay past 3 p.m. last Monday.
They took a metal pipe from underground and have it cleaned. But when they were about to put the pipe back to the ground, it accidentally hit a live wire of the CEBECO mainline, zapping the victims.
The victims were taken to the hospital but Taneo and Pardillo were declared dead on arrival. Tangaan, Paras, Panensoro, and Alesna are now in safe condition.
Mayor Patrick Barcenas blamed the CEBECO management for the incident, as its mainline was reportedly installed below the standard height.
Barcenas said that the standard height of electrical wires is 40 feet from the ground.
The mayor then ordered the municipal council to call the attention of CEBECO to have the mainline elevated to avoid a repeat of the incident.
The municipal government promised to handle the burial expenses of the two fatalities, whose families will each receive P7,000 insurance aside from other financial assistance from the town. – Niña G. Sumacot/LPM (THE FREEMAN)