Student electrocuted in class

Doing your class project can be very dangerous. A Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology junior of the Cebu State College of Science and Technology Main Campus died of electrocution while doing a class project at the school yesterday morning. The victim, a native of San Remigio, Cebu, was identified as Raymund Pepito, 19. Initial investigation by the Homicide Section revealed that at about 9 a.m. yesterday, the victim had a class on cabinet and furniture making under Concordio Coliao that was conducted at the hallway in one of the buildings of his school.

Pepito and his classmates Joselito Sortones and Francisco Saquez were using a portable grinder to polish a wooden chair.

Pepito reportedly called the attention of Sortones that there was something wrong with grinder he was using, but before the classmate could check the equipment, the former was already electrocuted. School-nurse Maribeth Cabanet, who rushed to the scene, tried to revive Pepito, who was already sprawled on the floor, but to no avail. They then brought the victim to the Cebu City Medical Center where he was declared dead on arrival.

Homicide Chief Mario Monilar refused to comment on the incident saying he was still waiting for the statement of the school administration. According to Monilar, he would evaluate the accounts of the witnesses to determine if the school is liable for the death of Pepito.

"We will invite experts to help us in the investigation like we will coordinate with the Visayan Electric Company to determine the lapses. Atong tan-awon ang safety measures nga gi-apply sa eskuylahan while doing the project dunay bay gloves ang students, nag-mask ba. Things like that," Monilar told reporters. He said he would also have the grinder examined following reports that the equipment was already old and was allegedly already defective.

The immediate family of Pepito has refused to give any comment about the incident as of yesterday. Cecilio Baga, CSCST Director for Technology, said that the school administration has already released a death aid of P 20,000 to the family of Pepito.

Aside from the death aid, the family of the victim will also receive at least P100,000 worth of insurance from the school if proven that Pepito died in an accident or if proven that he was really electrocuted.

Baga said that they could not yet establish the cause of the incident pending results of the autopsy. But Baga said that CSCST President Jose Sal Tan has already created a fact-finding committee to investigate the cause of the student's death.

Baga said that this is the first time that such incident happened inside their school. He, however, assured that safety measures are always in place for the students and they are also taught how to properly operate the equipment before they are allowed to use them. - Ryan Borinaga with Jasmin Uy