Cadet hurt in heist can now walk, talk

MANILA, Philippines - The military cadet who slipped into a coma after trying to foil a robbery in Quezon City last August is now back on his feet after almost two months of intensive medical care.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said Cadet 1st Class Alfonso Aviles can now walk and talk to the people around him. Citing a report by the AFP Medical Center, Burgos said Aviles can talk in short phrases but his jaw needs to be reconstructed through a titanium plate implant due to a fracture.

“He will also have to undergo physical rehabilitation three times a week to condition his body back to form,” the military spokesman said. “The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) student on his fourth year is now on ambulatory stage and can walk with guidance of a nurse.”

Despite the improvements in his condition, the hero cadet still needs to stay in the hospital “because of the mandibular fracture and the physical rehabilitation he is undergoing,” said Brig. Gen. Normando Sta. Ana, commander of the AFP Medical Center.

He said Aviles’ doctors are still waiting for a bullet on his shoulder to surface but have given assurance that he is “much closer to full recovery.”

Aviles, a member of PMA “Pudang Kalis (Sacred Sword)” Class of 2013, was shot in the head and shoulder when he grabbed the gun from a robber while he was in a jeepney last Aug. 25.

AFP chief Gen. Jessie Dellosa lauded Aviles for his heroic act, saying that the military would pray for him as he undergoes rehabilitation therapy.

“His (Aviles) bravery accounts for a lot of qualities our soldiers and cadets have in common. One of those is the selfless need to help other people even if it’s at the risk of their own life,” Dellosa said.

“Aviles deserves to recover and we will fervently pray and hope for the best so he may continue with the courageous service he started in the PMA,” he added.