BY JOEL CALAMBA ESCOL, Managing Editor
DIGOS CITY – At least five persons have died and one got injured on Easter Sunday in Digos City, Davao region, when lightning struck them while resting at a nipa hut atop a hilltop in Camp Madeg’ger, Barangay Binaton.
Responding rescue teams from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) identified the two male fatalities
as Jonnel Felix Galicia, 19; and John Gabriel Hersalia, 16. The three female fatalities also include Valerie Padillo Asotilla, 23; Jeramae Cartagena, 16; and Glendell Joy Villocino, 17. The lone survivor of the tragic lightning attack was also identified by CDRRMO as Clarence Cate Chatto, 21.
Based on a research made by MDNN Digital, the six victims were spending their own kind of Easter Sunday activity by trekking to Camp Mdigger, one of the tourist attractions in Digos City frequented by teenagers and adults.
The teenagers were enjoying the hilltop portion of the mountain and did some selfies and photo ops when the rain fell, prompting them to find a shelter. While waiting for the rain to stop, a lightning from nowhere suddenly struck hitting the nipa hut they were temporarily sheltering.
The tragic impact of the lightning immediately caused the untimely demise of the four victims while the other one was still brought to the nearby hospital but expired a few hours later.
Clarence Cate Chatto was the lone survivor of the deadly Easter Sunday tragedy in this part of Southern Philippines. He is now in stable condition at the Davao del Sur Provincial Hospital. The survivor, it was learned, was the boyfriend of Valerie Padillo Asotilla, who was one of the fatalities.
