By Zaldy Comanda
BAGUIO CITY – Three persons were killed while another was injured by the heavy monsoon rains in separate incidents here and in Mountain Province last Wednesday, the Office of the Civil Defense-Cordillera reported yesterday.
The fatalities were identified as David Apaling of Besao, Mountain Province; and Engr. Patrick Lachica, 23, project engineer, of Beckel, La Trinidad, Benguet, and Hanah Jean Aragon, 22, human resource representative of the construction firm implementing the construction and resident of Happy Homes, here.
OCD Regional Director Andrew Alex Uy said Apaling was walking during a heavy downpour in the morning on the side of a road when he slipped and fell into a ravine in Besao.
Lachica and Aragon were killed when the temporary office barracks on Sandico St., Barangay Salud Mitra, this city, where they were having coffee was carried away by a landslide caused by gushing waters from the monsoon rains at around 3 p.m.
Police, Rescue 911-On Call, and other emergency responders took the two victims to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.
On the other hand, the injured was identified as Joshua Valencia, 24, of Magsaysay-Loakan here. Valencia was injured when his leg was buried in a landslide that carried steel bars from an ongoing house construction.
Uy added minor landslides occurred on different national roads in the region. However, he said that all roads are passable with the immediate clearing operations conducted by the monitoring personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
