Tractor driver dies from electrocution

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Another person has died in Iloilo province after getting electrocuted by a dangling power line.

Police identified the victim as Jerry dela Cruz, 52, a resident of Barangag Mangorocoro, Ajuy, Iloilo.

Lieutenant Danilo Noca, Ajuy police chief, said that another man, 60-year-Leonilo Ballener of Barangay Pili, Ajuy survived the incident that happened at Sitio Palatak in Pili village around 6 a.m. of May 30, 2021.

Noca said that dela Cruz was tilling the rice farm using a tractor when the vehicle’s roof tangled with a dangling electrical wire.

The wire from the utility pole was connected to the house of a certain Edsel Guijarno.

Noca said a bamboo pole was used as a makeshift post from the electric pole going to Guijarno’s house, which is at least 300 meters away.

“The bamboo may have been out there to support the wire from not falling into the ground. But it eventually dangled,” Noca said.

When the wire reached the tractor, dela Cruz alighted from the vehicle and went up the roof to detach the wire from the vehicle.

But while at the vehicle’s roof, he was heard shouting “tabang” (help). He was thrown off the vehicle and landed on the rice field.

Ballener, who was just nearby, immediately helped him. But a few meters from dela Cruz’s body, he also felt the electric current and shouted for help.

But unlike Dela Cruz, Ballener managed to crawl on the wet rice field away from the live wire.

They were later rushed to the hospital but dela Cruz was pronounced dead on arrival.

More than a week ago, a motorcycle backrider died of electrocution in Sara, Iloilo.

Police identified the victim as Joan Pinicilla, 46, a resident of Barangay Bacabac, Sara.

His two other companions, Jonas Amangas and Ronald Guerra, survived the incident unscathed.

Amangas, the motorcycle driver, is Pinicillas’ nephew while Guerra is their friend.

Major Jose Nemias Pamplona, Sara police chief, said that the trio were on board a motorcycle going to a relative’s wake in Bacabac village.

They decided to navigate a “shortcut” in going to the wake by passing through an alley.

Amangas pulled up the wire so the motorcycle can pass through. However, the dangling wire turned out to be “live” and electrocuted the trio.

Pinicilla and Guerra were thrown off the motorcycle while Amangas got stuck in the bike still clutching the live wire.

Pinicilla immediately came to his nephew’s rescue by pulling the wire away from him. He was the one who was fatally electrocuted.