Kin of victims in gas poisoning get aid

CEBU, Philippines - The families of  the  two cousins who died in methane gas suffocation while cleaning the drainage at Tabunok Public Market last Thursday afternoon received assistance from the city government yesterday.

Talisay City public information officer Vincie Monterde told The FREEMAN that the city government shouldered the coffins and niches for the victims Brendon and Romeo Cabanes.

Aside from this, Mayor Johnny De los Reyes also gave P5,000 each to the family of Brendon and Romeo. According to Monterde, the financial assistance came from the mayor's personal coffers.

Monterde said the mayor also promised Brendon's wife and Romeo's sister to be hired as job order employees in the city hall whose employment terms will be co-terminus to that of the mayor.

Monterde added that the city engineering office told him the victims' group always uses a compressor while doing cleaning inside the drainage so as to have a source of air inside.

But the two victims were reportedly not using one when the incident happened since the team was already done with the day's work and the tools have already been kept.

He said that the group of Cabanes cousins is expert in cleaning the drainage in the area and that the city used to hire them.

Yesterday, the mayor has ordered the city fire station to flush water into the cleaned drainage to make sure that there is no clogging.

It can be recalled that while cleaning last Thursday, Brendon got dizzy and fell inside the drainage after he inhaled the methane gas from the rotten garbage.

His cousin Romeo tried to rescue him, but unfortunately  the latter's foot slide which made him fall too. He hit his head on the cemented ground of the drainage that made him unconscious and drown in the muddy water.

Their other companions, Wilson Campo and Lemuel Macaraya, immediately tried to rescue them by taking a rope but both also failed as they experienced breathing difficulty because of methane.

They were brought to the hospital at once and were later on discharged after feeling better. — Brenda D. Batuto of Banat News