CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Mobile Group resumed its training yesterday morning, less than 24 hours after 18 of its 320 policemen were struck by lightning in Barangay Lamacan, Sibonga town.
Chief Supt. Lani-O Nerez, director of the Regional Police Office 7, had ordered the temporary suspension of the training after the lightning struck 18 of the trainees at almost 1 pm last Tuesday.
Nerez told reporters yesterday that the trainees will just look for another area to resume the anti-insurgency training as part of their Field Training Exercise.
He maintained that there was no one to blame for the incident.
“Wala’y lapse kay training man ‘to. Dili man nato matag-an kung asa ug kung kanus-a mu-strike ang kilat. Magpasalamat lang ta na wala’y kinabuhi na nakalas,” he added. (We could not predict when or where a lightning would strike so let’s just all be grateful that no one died.)
The PRO 7 director assured that all the affected trainees will graduate along with the rest of the team less than two weeks from now.
“Ang kadtong mga na-ospital, muapas na lang sila. Akong gipangutana gahapon, 12 days na man lang daw diay ang ila training then graduation na,” Nerez said.
Nerez said that all victims were still at two different hospitals yesterday and were already in stable condition. Eleven were taken to the South General Hospital in Naga while seven were taken to PNP Hospital in Cebu City Police Office along Gorordo Avenue.
Five of the victims were placed at the Intensive Care Unit of South Gen Hospital for a 24-hour monitoring, though Nerez emphasized that this does not mean they were in critical condition.
Chief Insp. Floriser Radaza, a physician, said they had to monitor the five policemen because their cardiac status was fluctuating. The lower extremities of the rest of the victims were also numb, he said.
The five who were seriously hurt were PO1s Aidrin Laurente, Mark Joel Molina, Edmund Sumalinog, Wilfred Aparece and Barry Entea.
One positive thing came out of the incident, though. “Nagamit nuon ilang training sa paghimo ug improvised stretcher,” Nerez said. (They were able to apply what they learned on making an improvised stretcher.)
Nerez already reported the matter to PNP Chief Jesus Versoza, who told him that the national headquarters is willing to assist for the hospital expenses. But Nerez, who visited the policemen at the hospital, said the PRO 7 will shoulder the hospital bills.
The policemen were taking their lunch under the rain in a shrubby area of Sitio Camansili in Barangay Lamacan when a lightning struck PO1 Laurente’s shotgun and bounced off, hitting the policemen. — THE FREEMAN