ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – The jamboree had been envisioned to promote camaraderie, leadership, and skill-building – a gathering where scouts from across Zamboanga could forge bonds. Instead, it opened under the shadow of tragedy, its promise shattered in a moment.
Organizers of the biggest scouting event in Zamboanga City sent hundreds of boy scouts home following an accident that killed three boy scouts and sent 10 others to a hospital on Thursday, December 12.
The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) called off the 2024 Zamboanga Jamboree as a result of the accident following the opening ceremony attended by over 500 boy scouts from all over the city.
Three senior boy scouts, all 17 years old, died from electrocution at the Boy Scout Camp in Abong-Abong Freedom Park.
“The Boy Scouts of the Philippines takes full responsibility. What happened was unforeseen, and no one wanted it,” said lawyer Jose Rizalindo Ortega, BSP-Zamboanga Council chairperson.
The jamboree, much-awaited by many of Zamboanga’s boy scouts, had been scheduled from December 12 to 15.
Butch Ignacio Alejabo, the man tasked with overseeing the jamboree, described the grim sequence of events with a tone that betrayed both shock and sorrow. A group of boy scouts, eager to help, had stepped forward to move a large canopy tent from the roadside to the camp.
Thirteen boy scouts, all volunteers, grasped the structure, their efforts coordinated and determined. But in the process, the tent’s tip made contact with a live wire owned by the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (ZAMCELCO).
The result was catastrophic. In an instant, what began as an act of teamwork turned into a scene of horror, the electric current surging through the young scouts.
Police responded immediately, coordinating with the Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to rush the boy scouts to the hospital.
They identified the three fatalities as Kevin Emmanuel Iguid and Geoffree Guilar Atilano, both 12th graders at Zamboanga City High School, and Alvin Aguilar Gasfar from the Recodo National High School.
According to medical reports, Iguid was pronounced dead at 9:40 am, Atilano at 9:48 am, and Gasfar at 9:44 am.
Ten other scouts remain hospitalized. They are as follows:
- Fraziel Arkasaha Sahibuddin, 12, of Tulungatung
- Alwin Macaso Manding, 12, of Tulungatung
- Nashmar Jawadin Haradji, 11, of Tulungatung
- John Pabuaya Magquilat, 17
- Aldrian Halun Majid, 18, of Recodo
- Jerome Ampahan Ochea, 17, of Recodo
- Axxelle Shawn Garcia, 18, of Cabatangan
- Francis Xavier Ganob Francisco, 16, of Lumbangan
- Rochel Lou Puhayan Hera, of Maasin
- Gestony Ralph Coronel Lai, 11, of Baluno
Ortega said medics and ambulances were on standby, as required by safety protocols, but the incident was unanticipated.
“Whatever assistance we can provide, we will,” Ortega said, adding that parents of participants in the canceled kid and cub scout activities would be refunded.
ZAMCELCO has not taken responsibility for the accident but, in a statement, expressed condolences to the families of the three boy scouts who died at the start of the jamboree in Pasonanca.
“We are deeply saddened by this heartbreaking event, and our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones in this incredibly painful time…. May the souls of these young boy scouts rest in peace, and may their families find strength and comfort in the days ahead,” the power distributor said.
ZAMCELCO said it would cooperate with authorities in their investigation and was taking immediate steps to thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding the incident. – Rappler.com