Isabela bet dies of heat stroke

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – The debilitating heat took its toll on a councilor bet in Isabela, the first candidate reported to have died of heat stroke in the region while on the campaign trail.

Liberal Party councilor bet Vicenta Espiritu, 66, of Isabela’s northern Tumauini town, succumbed to heat stroke while conducting a briefing with her supporters and coordinators Wednesday afternoon. 

Espiritu, a retired public school teacher, was rushed to a hospital after she fainted but was declared dead on arrival.

She was said to have succumbed to hypertension as a result of the extreme heat, aggravated by fatigue from her grueling campaign.

The temperature that day in Tuguegarao City and neighboring towns, including Tumauini, reached 38 degrees Celsius, so far the highest in the country in recent years.

Tumauini, located near Isabela’s northern tip, is only a few kilometers from the regional center of Tuguegarao City, which had the country’s highest temperature of 42 degrees Celsius recorded some 30 years ago.