Marikina City hall employee dies of heat stroke

MANILA, Philippines - An employee of the Marikina City Hall died after suffering from heat stroke during last Monday's flag-raising ceremony.

Aries Pasco, in her mid-50s, an employee of the Marikina Settlement Office, fainted during the flag-raising rite in front of the city hall at around 9:30 a.m.

Pasco was rushed to the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, where the victim later died.

Michael Zurbano of the Marikina Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said Pasco had a heart condition.

"Medyo mahaba kasi yung ceremonies nung araw na yun kasi opening ng Angkan-angkan festival," Zurbano said, noting that although it was cloudy that day, the air was humid.

He said Pasco was still conscious when they brought her to the hospital, which was only a few hundred meters away from the city hall.

Meanwhile, some employees of the city hall have asked Mayor Del de Guzman to hold the regular flag raising rite earlier than usual after the incident.

The Department of Health (DOH) had reminded the public against heat stroke. It advised the public to wear light-colored shirts and drink lots of water to avoid heat stroke.