Over 100 Students Sent to Hospital After Fire Drill Exercise, According to Cabuyao Mayor
Cabuyao Mayor reported that more than 100 students were sent to hospital are joining a fire drill exercise in school.
According to Cabuyao Mayor Dennis Hain, over 100 students were taken to the hospital on Thursday (March 23, 2023) after participating in a fire drill at Gulod National High School Mamatid Extension in Cabuyao City, Laguna.
The drill was organized based on a memo from the Department of Education, but it resulted in a chaotic and hazardous situation for the students.
“Base sa ating imbestigasyon, kaninang alas-12 (ng hapon) nagsimula ang drill… Ang humigit-kumulang na 3,000 estudyante ay pinapasok sa classroom. Doon ay sila ang nagsiksikan sa kabila ng init ng panahon,” Hain said.
The students were ordered to stay inside their classrooms for more than three hours, with the help of “scouts”, while in a cramped and confined space. Moreover, the temperature during the drill ranged from 36 to 43 degrees Celsius, which made the situation worse.
After the students were eventually let out, they were brought to an open field where they stayed for half an hour under the scorching heat, allegedly without water. The mayor claimed that this caused some students to experience dizziness and seizures, while others even fainted.
“May ilang estudyante na nagrereklamo at nanghihingi ng tubig (pero) hindi po napagbigyan sapagkat ang mga scout po ang nagma-manage. Siguro ay hindi rin abot ng kanilang kaisipan dahil mga bata rin sila at ganon nga akala nila ay basta-basta na lang,” Hain added.
Mayor Hain reported that a total of 104 students were rushed to Cabuyao General Hospital, and some were treated at Ospital ng Cabuyao. As of 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, three students were still in the hospital.
Hain claimed that teachers did not coordinate the drill with the Barangay Mamatid or Cabuyao disaster management officials, which could have helped prevent the incident from happening.
As of writing, both the school and the Department of Education have not yet released any statement regarding the incident.
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