BY FELIPE CELINO
ROXAS City — Councilor Emmanuel “Tawi” Billones Jr. denied accusations that he ignored a victim of electrocution in Brgy. Mainay, Sigma, Capiz.
He said he stayed for half an hour at the scene of the incident before leaving for Roxas City.
Cyril Alba, 29, of Brgy. Agkilo, Panitan town was electrocuted after he accidentally touched a live wire of the Capiz Electric Cooperative (Capelco).
Alba sustained third-degree burns. He was taken by the villagers to the Mambusao District Hospital in Mambusao but died upon arrival.
Some bystanders and relatives of Alba said the victim would have survived if Billones immediately brought the victim to the hospital using his car.
Personnel of the IC Construction Services were installing cables of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. in the area when the incident happened.
Billones was driving a car with his friends bound for this city when an explosion occurred at the Capelco post in Brgy. Mainay, Sigma at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
He stopped the car away from the post where the explosion happened and where the IC Construction Services personnel were installing telephone cables.
Billones said he called Capelco General Manager Edgar Diaz and asked to temporarily cut off the power in the area to avoid a similar incident.
He said he also called some officials to bring rescue equipment to help the villagers bring the victim to the hospital.
It was his first time to witness such incident, the councilor said.
