Female PMA cadet drowns in pool

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — A female fourth class cadet of the Philippine Military Academy drowned at the academy’s swimming pool last Monday afternoon while she was reportedly practicing for today’s intramurals.

The body of 21-year-old Cadet Mary Rose Nabong, who hailed from Guindapunan, Catbalogan, Samar, was found at the bottom of the 12-foot deep swimming pool by her fellow cadets.

Nabong was one of the 24 female cadets welcomed by first class cadets in recognition rites last Saturday.

Marine Maj. Edgard Arevalo, PMA spokesman, said Nabong, who belonged to the Foxtrot company, was with 34 other fellow cadet-swimmers from other companies who were practicing for the intramurals starting at about 3:45 p.m.

The cadets left one after the other since there was no time limit for the practice, Arevalo said.

At about 5:10 p.m., after failing to locate Nabong in their barracks, her squad mates went to the pool to look for her. They reportedly saw there a pair of rubber shoes and an athletic uniform belonging to her.

They scoured the area but failed to find her, until members of the swimming corps squad (varsity team) decided to dive into the pool to search for her.

After three dives, one of the cadets spotted Nabong’s body at the bottom of the 12-foot deep portion of the swimming pool.

One of the cadets, apparently trained on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, attempted to revive Nabong but failed. She was then rushed to the Fort del Pilar Station Hospital.

In spite of dilated pupils indicative that the cadet was dead on arrival, Arevalo said the doctors still tried to revive her for about 40 minutes but all these efforts still failed.

Capt. Arsenio de la Rosa, the medical officer on duty, declared Nabong dead at about 6:20 p.m.

Nabong’s remains lie in state at the St. Ignatius Chapel here. PMA officials have informed her parents in Samar about her death. — With Andy Zapata