Worker dies, two others injured in hangar accident

Bienvenido managed to see his son Benjamin breathe his last while his wife Maria Flor served him lunch hours before his death.

BIENVENIDO Munes was mixing cement about 15 meters away from where his son Benjamin was welding a makeshift ladder when an accident occurred inside the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base at 11:15 a.m. yesterday.

The 68-year-old Munes said he heard something pop and he turned to see heavy steel trusses fall on top of his son inside the air base’s hangar.

The  air base serves as headquarters of the 2nd Air Division of the Philippine Air Force.

Bienvenido said his son was unable to get away since he had a harness on him attached to the scaffolding that he stood on when the accident happened.

He rushed to where his son was and saw him breathe his last.

“Gitabang pa namo sa akong mga kauban para makuha siya. Pero bug-at kaayo ang mga trusses. Di namo maalsa (We tried to save him. But the trusses were very heavy. We cannot lift them),” the elder Munez said, adding that only a crane could have lifted the trusses.

Two other workers identified as Celso Gestopa and Romel Omolon were hurt.

They were rushed to the Benito Ebuen Air Base Hospital at Mactan Air Base for lacerations.

Munes said he and his son shared a laugh during their break at 10 a.m. and Benjamin even asked for a cigarette from him.

Bienvenido works as a steel man while Benjamin works as a steelman/welder.

Both were employed as construction workers under Caffe Engineering.

Bienvenido said he helped his 35-year-old son get a job as a welder. Benjamin only started working last month.

“Wa nako katingog. Pwerti nakong guola aning disgrasyaha (I can’t speak. I am so saddened about this accident),” Bienvenido said.

Bienvenido said his son’s remains had not been recovered as of 3:45 p.m. since the construction firm had to look for a crane to lift the trusses.

Rescue workers manage to recover Benjamin’s remains at past 5 p.m.

He said they were assured by their contractor whom he identified as a certain Arnold that they will take care of the family’s needs including the burial of his son Benjamin. Benjamin was the sixth in a brood of eight of Bienvenido.

The younger Munes left his two kids behind, a four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.

Ahmed Cuizon, Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority assistant manager, said the hangar project is one of the eight structures being built inside the Benito Ebuen Air Base.

“It’s part of the P720 million replication project undertaken by the Philippine Air Force. I was told it’s the hangar so it’s not multilevel,” Cuizon said.

Cuizon heads the project which is being developed by Pamatong Granby Joint Venture.

He said it was the last structure being built to complete the replication project.

Bienvenido said they were supposed to complete the project by the end of the month.

He said the contractor assured him that they will cover his son’s burial expenses.

Cebu Daily News tried but was unable to get statements from Engr. Benuardo Maralit, Pamatong Granby Joint Venture project head for the replication project.