DIGOS City ― Six youthful individuals who were seeking shelter in a makeshift hut atop a mountain hill in Camp Madigger, Barangay Binaton, this city, following a heavy downpour was hit by a strong lightning blow in the afternoon of Easter Sunday.
Samuel Miralles, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) executive officer confirmed that three females and two males were killed and only one survived the incident.
Miralles identified those who were killed as Jeramae Cartagena, 16, a resident of Barangay Soong, Digos City; Jonnel Felix Galicia, 19, a resident of Barangay Kiagot, Digos City; John Gabrielle Hersalia, 16; Glendell Joy Villocino, 17, a resident of Barangay Soong, Digos City; and Valerie Padillo Asotilla, 23, a resident of Barangay Kiagot, and a graduating student of the University of Mindanao Digos College (UMDC) taking up Bachelor of Science in Education (BSED) major in Mathematics.
Clarence Cate Chatto, 21, a resident of Barangay Sinawilan, Digos City was slightly injured, but in a safe condition while undergoing medical treatment at the Davao del Sur Provincial Hospital in Digos City.
Reports said the victims were having fun at the picturesque view from the Camp Madigger mountaintop on Easter Sunday (April 9) when heavy rains suddenly poured at the area that prompted them to seek refuge in a lone makeshift hut while waiting for the storm to subside.
Unfortunately, lightning hit the same hut that the victims used as shelter from the rain, the report said.
Loren Asotilla, the mother of Valerie said her daughter was with Chatto (the survivor) at Camp Madigger at the time of the incident where she even received text messages from the victim about their whereabouts until she noticed that Valerie was no longer responding to her messages which made them anxious as to what really happened until she was told about the incident.
Emerson Asotilla, the elder brother of Valerie who happened to be in the same village at the time of the incident said he tried his best to reach Camp Madigger which is more or less 3 kilometers uphill from the Digos to Kapatagan national highway.
“When I arrived at the place, my sister has no more signs of life. I attempted to revive her by doing CPR, but to no avail,” Emerson said.
Miralles described the place as very dangerous, especially during heavy rains due to slippery slopes and ravines along the way.
“Our vehicles could no longer climb uphill due to the risk of skidding and falling into the nearby ravines. That’s why it takes a lot of time for our emergency responders in reaching the area due to the slippery and dangerous road going to Camp Madigger,” Miralles said.
He further said that members of the Kabalikat Radio Group, the rescue unit of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine Army, and village functionaries and officials were working hand-in-hand to bring the victims downhill.
The rescue operation ended at about 10 pm on Sunday.
One of the victims was ferried earlier (Villocino) and died at Digos Doctor’s Hospital, while the other one (Chatto) was rushed to Davao del Sur Provincial Hospital (DSPH) and currently recuperating from his injuries.
The four others who were brought hours after the incident was declared dead on arrival at the DSPH.
