Marikina mayor mulls earlier flag raising after employee's death

MANILA, Philippines - The Marikina City government is now contemplating of holding its regular flag-raising ceremony earlier than usual following the death of an employee after suffering from heat stroke last Monday morning.

Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman said he is seriously studying to schedule the flag-raising rite earlier right after the incident.

"Pinag-aaralan po natin na agahan (ang flag-raising) siguro kahit 7:30 a.m. at para matapos agad ng maaga," de Guzman said in a phone interview.

De Guzman also noted that the employee, a member of the city hall choir, who died last Monday's flag-raising ceremony had a heart condition.

"Meron na rin s'yang sakit sa puso bago mangyari yun. Hindi naman sila nasa initan sa bandang likod sila kasi nga choir member sila," the local chief executive added.

Aries Pasco, in her mid-50s, of the city's settlement office, fainted during the flag-raising ceremony last Monday around 9:30 a.m. She later died at the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center.

The incident has spawned proposals from several city hall employees to move the flag-raising ceremony to an earlier time.