2 others hurt after falling from church ceiling: Construction worker ‘electrocuted’

CEBU, Philippines - A man working for the renovation of a church was believed to have been electrocuted inside the bunkhouse Tuesday night in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Balamban town.

Dennis Cantutay, of Sudlon I, Cebu City, was pronounced dead on arrival at the town’s Cebu Provincial Hospital.

According to Police Officer 3 Yuri Colonia of Balamban Police Station, Cantutay was employed in a construction firm hired to renovate the Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in the town.

After a day’s work, Colonia said, the victim would allegedly usually go home before fixing himself in what the workers call a bunkhouse.

At around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the victim went inside the bunkhouse after washing his body. But a fellow construction worker then reportedly saw him suddenly fall down.

“Iyang kauban nakabantay nga naa’y nahitabo sa sulod. Pagtan-aw, tumba na,” Colonia said.

The victim’s co-workers found burnt marks on his body. He was brought to the hospital but no longer made it there alive.

Responding policemen found a damaged electrical wire inside the bunkhouse which they believed to have been accidentally touched by the victim.

“Lagmit iyang nasaghiran ang electrical wire, basin basa iyang lawas,” Colonia said.

Police said there were no signs of struggle that made them rule out the possibility of a foul play.

Meanwhile, two other construction workers were injured after they fell from the ceiling of a church in Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City yesterday afternoon.

Police identified the victims as Jungie Cañete from Negros Oriental and Mark Gil Herodea from Aloguinsan, Cebu, who both work for Vineyard Construction.

Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo said the victims were rushed to Perpetual Soccour Hospital and are now in stable condition.

Villarojo said he got information that the two workers took off their harness belt to supposedly transfer to another area when the plywood they stepped on, which served as the base of scaffoldings, gave in.

The two then fell some 40 feet below.

Villarojo assured that the church will help the victims in the hospital expenses.

The Department of Labor and Employment-7 will conduct an investigation into the incident over questions on safety of the contraction workers.

DOLE-7 director Exequiel Sarcauga said he will look into whether the contractor had given safety harnesses and other measures to their workers.

Rustico Levi Custorio from the Labor Laws Compliance of DOLE said they will call the attention of the management of the Vineyard Construction.

“Among tumong sa investigation mao ang pagsusi kung aduna ba’y construction safety and health program ang vineyard ug ang contructor aduna ba’y certificate gikan sa Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board,” he said.

Should the contractor fail to present any certificate from PCAB, Custorio said they will issue a work stoppage order against the firm.  (FREEMAN)