Electrocution incident in Toledo City an accident, police say
27-year-old Romel Soon hangs from a branch of a Gemilina tree after he was electrocuted on Monday, April 5, 2021, in Sitio Daspo, Barangay Das in Toledo City, Cebu. | contributed photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Toledo police believe that the electrocution incident resulting in the death of a 27-year-old Romel Soon that happened around 11 a.m. on Monday, April 5, 2021 in Sitio Daspo, Barangay Das, was ‘accidental.’
Police Executive Master Sergeant Thule Tahadlangit, the investigator of the case, said the victim was tasked to trim the branches of a tree by his church mate identified as a certain Joel Barquio near their church in Sitio Daspo. He said that while trimming the branches, a branch he cut off fell to the CEBECO III Phase backbone live wire, causing him to be electrocuted.
Tahadlangit said this could have been avoided if the tree cutting was coordinated with the Cebu Electric Cooperative (CEBCO).
“Mahug ni siya og aksidente. Pero wala sila makig coordinate ngadto sa CEBECO. Supposed to be, ang mo conduct ani atoa gyud mga linemen. Mu report lang ka ngadto, mureklamo…sila may naay access sa kuryente, pwede man nila mapalong before mu conduct og cleaning sa area,” Tahadlangit said.
(This will fall as an accident. However, they did not coordinate with the CEBECO. Supposed to be, this will be conducted by the linemen. They only need to report and raise their concern there. They have access to the electricity, they can turn it off before cleaning the area.)
Tahadlangit said it was around 12 noon when responding officers of Toledo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) together with Toledo Bureau of Fire Personnel, Toledo City Police Station, Barangay Das DRRMO, and CEBECO III pulled out the body of the victim which was entangled with a trimmed branch of the tree.
Tahadlangit said that after being pulled out, the victim was immediately brought to the Toledo City Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Police said the church shouldered the expenses of the victim.
/bmjo
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