2 exam applicants hurt in Napolcom stampede

MANILA, Philippines - Two persons were hurt when police officers and civilians applying to take entrance and promotional examinations pushed and shoved their way into the National Police Commission (Napolcom) National Capital Region office building in Guadalupe, Makati City yesterday.

Acting director Cynthia Navarro said Police Office 3 Ricardo Orense of the Quezon City police and Richard Ryan Abando, a civilian applicant from Tondo, Manila suffered slight injuries in the stampede.

According to a radio report, the applicants rushed into the Jacinta 2 building along EDSA when it began to rain at around 10:30 a.m. The Napolcom said a glass panel at the building’s entrance broke as the applicants jostled each other.

Napolcom said it will deploy marshals at the application site to prevent a repeat of the incident.

The nationwide examinations will be on Oct. 23, and the deadline for filing applications for the police entrance and promotional examinations is on Sept. 16.

Napolcom vice chairman and executive officer Eduardo Escueta earlier said the acceptance of applications shall be on a “first come, first served” basis and, upon due notice, may be stopped ahead of the deadline. The commission said it could process 100 applications daily.