Volunteer survives Quezon City flood, killed in freak accident

MANILA, Philippines - A volunteer who survived the floods that hit their community in Quezon City died in a freak accident that happened while he was helping in a clean-up drive to remove the garbage left behind by storm “Ondoy” in their barangay.

Angelito Balana’s partner, Jovelyn Mejaros, 25, now worries for the future of their two young children – aged three years and eight months — following his death.

Balana, 28, and a resident of Barangay Tatalon, was injured when, after loading a sack of garbage onto a dump truck, he accidentally disloged a pole that prevented the truck's one-ton metal lid from closing. The lid fell on his head, said Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego, director of the Quezon City Police District.

Balana was dead on arrival at the Delos Santos-STI Hospital, according to Dr. Efren delos Santos, the hospital’s medical director.

“He (Balana) sustained massive head injuries from the accident,” Delos Santos told The STAR in an interview.

According to San Diego, the freak accident happened at past 3 p.m. in the middle of a cleanup drive initiated by authorities in Barangay Tatalon, which was one of the severely affected communities during the passing of tropical storm Ondoy.

Mejaros said Balana has been working as a palero for the barangay and helped during yesterday’s clean-up drive in the area.

“He was one of the volunteers sent by the barangay to help us in the removal of the piles of garbage here,” San Diego said.

Mejaros said their family was among those affected by the flooding in Barangay Tatalon.            – Reinir Padua