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By Frank Calapre, Correspondent
KORONADAL City: The scorching
summer heat claimed the life of a school principal here while four
officials and four participants were rushed to a government hospital
after the opening ceremonies of the Department of
Education-organized 2007 Palarong Pambansa Sunday.
Carlos Mingue del Prado,
Principal II of the Marinduque National High School, of Mimaropa
(Region-IV-B) suddenly collapsed because of heat stroke at around 11
a.m. while preparing in the assembly area near the South Cotabato
Sports Complex before the start of the scheduled 2 p.m. long parade
of delegations.
The 59-year-old del Prado was
immediately brought to South Cotabato Provincial Hospital but was
pronounced dead at around 5:55 p.m. due to cardio pulmonary
arrest.
Del Prado’s body was brought to
Allen Memorial Homes before it will be shipped back home in Barangay
Laon, Mogpog, Marinduque.
Also being treated because of the
same condition was Felino Saul. Saul, a teacher in San Felipe,
Pampangan, was now safe and out of danger.
The other officials and athletes,
whose names were withheld upon their own request, were immediately
discharged from the hospital in the same day.
DepEd Palaro Task Force chairman
Len Toledo said that they have no plans of adjusting the schedules
of open-air events despite the killer heat because they have to
finish all matches before Saturday.
“We have to play all the games
until Friday. If we will adjust the scheduling because of the summer
heat, it will need additional days before we can finish the already
weeklong competition. We have also consulted all coaches and
officials and they said there is no problem,” said Toledo.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Aiza
Rosero of the Bicol region won the gold medal of the girls’
secondary javelin throw at the start of the hostilities Monday.
The eldest of nine siblings,
Rosero gave her all in her third attempt to finish the event with
36.83 meters. A few notches was Josie Entrina of Western Visayas,
who settled for silver with 35.85m and Sharmaine Joy Bucaling also
of Region-VI with 34.34m.
“Masayang-masaya ako sa panalo
ko. Kahit mahangin pero hindi ito hadlang sa akin sa kagustuhan na
manalo,” said Rosero, who also won the first gold in the same
event in last year’s Palaro in Naga City.
In the other events, Western
Visayas blanked Ilocos region, 11-0 in the secondary softball,
Central Visayas routed region I, 30-25, 28-21, in the girls high-
school volleyball and Northern Mindanao defeated Eastern Visayas,
72-67, in the high- school basketball contest.
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