Tagum student electrocuted in national press meet

KORONADAL CITY ( PNA) – A student writer from Tagum City, Davao who is participating in the 2016 National Schools Press Conference ( NSPC) here was accidentally electrocuted inside their quarters early Monday.

Supt. Barney Condes, Koronadal City police chief, identified the victim as Harold Manla, 16, a resident of Tagum City in Davao del Norte and a part of the Region 11 or Davao Region delegation. He is now in stable condition.

Condes said Manla was putting up a clothesline inside the comfort room of their billeting quarters at Osita Elementary School here at past 2 a.m. when he was electrocuted.

“( Manla) might have touched a grounded or open live wire and was electrocuted in the process,” he told reporters.

Condes said the Tagum City delegation arrived at the Osita Elementary School at around 2 a.m. and was just settling down when the incident happened.

He said the victim was rushed to the Allah Valley Medical Specialists Hospital here and had been declared out of danger by doctors.

“He’s already recuperating and we’re very thankful that he did not suffer any serious injury,” he said.

City Mayor Peter Miguel ordered the city’s incident management team to look into the incident and set contingencies to prevent similar incidents.

“We will shoulder all the medical expenses and the hospitalization of the victim,” he said.

The Department of Education in Region 12, which is hosting the 2016 NSPC in coordination with the city government of Koronadal, has set 17 private and public schools in the city as billeting areas for the delegates.

The Bureau of Fire Protection in Region 12 volunteered to conduct emergency inspections of the billeting quarters to ensure the safety of the delegates.