Hi, my name is ...39

They say lightning never strikes twice. But in the Philippines lighting does strike farmers and other people quite often. In fact "lightning strikes are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the Philippines." Let's say hello to some of them. 

 Hi, my name is Jessie Gabato. I am a married man with nine children. A storm came and me and my wife and our children sought shelter in our hut. I stood up to change my wet clothes and that is when a bolt of lighting hit me in the head! I died and now my children are selling produce on the side of the road. What is my supped to do?? God killed her provider. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1961811/cebu/local-news/farmer-dies-after-being-hit-by-lightning-in-cebu-city-barangay

A 52-YEAR-OLD farmer died after being struck by lightning during a heavy downpour in Lower Mahiga, Barangay Banilad, Cebu City on Friday at 2:30 p.m., May 19, 2023.

The victim was identified as Jessie Gabato, married, with nine children.

According to his wife, Vevencia, 53, her husband was farming with his children, when they took shelter in their hut during a downpour.

She said that the victim was hit by lightning when he stood up inside the hut to change clothes.

She added that even their children – Jestonie, 30; Jeson, 27; Jeqoulo, 20; and Justin, 9, a PWD – were thrown across the room when lightning struck.

(We were surprised, sir, when the lightning started twirling around the hut, then my husband, who had been drenched in rain, stood up to change clothes but lightning struck his exposed head).

Jessie got unconscious with a burn on his head.

According to Vevencia, they quickly called for assistance from their neighbors, but because of the heavy rain, it took them some time to respond and carry the casualty to the hospital.

The victim was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Vevencia acknowledged that her husband raised their nine children through farming.

On the side of the road, their children also sell farm produce and livestock.

Concerning how to sustain her children, especially the PWD, Vevencia stated her worries.

(Who will take care of my children, sir? I don't have a husband to provide for our food).

Hi, my name is Bernardo Tapia, I was delivering a hog with my helper. Along the way a storm arose and I got struck by lightning and died. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1936188/bacolod/local-news/lightning-kills-sexagenarian-companion-hurt

A HOG raiser died while his helper was hurt when lightning struck them while they were seeking shelter at a waiting shed at Barangay Puey in Sagay City, Negros Occidental Tuesday night, July 26.

Case investigator Corporal Richer Salve identified the fatality as Bernardo Tapia, 60, of Purok Kalubihan in the city’s Barangay Maquiling while the identity of his helper is being withheld as he is a minor.

Investigation showed that the two came to deliver a hog to a customer at Purok Dalia in the city’s Barangay Puey when the incident happened.

Tapia died due to injuries he sustained upon arrival at the Alfredo E. Maranon Sr. Memorial District Hospital where the boy was also treated.

Hi, my name is Romeo Sayam. I was seeking refuge in the middle of a rice field when I was struck by lighting and killed. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/20/farmer-killed-village-chair-hurt-in-lightning-strike-in-quezon

A farmer died and a barangay chairman was injured in a lightning strike in Barangay Ilayang Nangka, this city, on Tuesday afternoon, July 18.

Tayabas police chief Police Lt. Col. Bonna Obmerga identified the fatality as Romeo Sayam, 30.

Sayam was taken to the Tayabas Community Hospital where he was declared dead.

Obmerga said that the injured, Rowell Cabuyao de la Torre, 37, chairman of Barangay Ilayang Nangka, sustained burns in half of his body and is confined at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Tayabas Community Hospital.

The victims were seeking refuge in the rest house of De la Torre in the middle of the rice field when lightning struck them during a thunderstorm.

Hi, my name is Jessie Palapala. I was working my farm when I was struck by lighting and died. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/14/farmer-killed-in-lightning-strike-in-ilocos-sur

A farmer was killed in a lightning strike in Barangay Bahet, San Ildefonso, this province, on Thursday, July 13.

Newly installed provincial police chief Police Col. Judgith del Prado identified the victim as Jessie Palapala, 55.

Investigation said Palapala was struck by lightning after working in his farm and was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead.

Hi, my name is Jomar Funtilar. Me and my daughter Jona were resting in our house when we were struck by lighting and killed. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/455790/father-daughter-dead-after-lightning-strike-in-quezon-town

A farmer and his nine-year-old daughter died after they were struck by lightning in Catanauan town in Quezon province on Thursday night, police said in a belated report Saturday.

Catanauan police said Jomar Funtilar and daughter Jona were resting inside their house in Barangay (village) Tagbacan Ilaya around 7 p.m. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the house, hitting the pair.

The victims died on the spot from severe burns.

Ginilyn Funtilar, Jomar’s wife, reported the incident to the police morning of the next day.

In a phone interview Saturday morning, Police Staff Sergeant Michael Adao, the case investigator, said Ginilyn was not around when the lightning struck. He did not say where she was at the time of the incident.

“The victims were in their open-air kitchen when they were hit by lightning,” Adao said.

Another child, a four-year-old son of the Funtilars, was able to seek shelter inside their bedroom when the lightning storm started and was unharmed

Hi, my name is Myrna Soriano. I was outside when a heavy downpour started. I took shelter under a mango tree but that was not enough as the lightning struck me even there. Be sure to stay away from trees during storms. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1202903

A 33-year-old female farmer was struck and killed by lightning in Barangay Tococ-Barikir this town on Sunday.

In an interview on Monday, Mangatarem Police Station deputy chief Capt. Jorlan Salcedo identified the victim as Myrna Soriano, a local resident here.

“The victim was discovered lifeless by her brother Sunday late afternoon. She was still brought to the nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the physician,” he said.

Salcedo said the attending physician confirmed that the victim was hit by lightning as proven by the burnt parts of her body, especially at the back of her neck that caused her death.

Based on the police’s investigation, the victim took shelter under a mango tree following a sudden heavy downpour where she was struck by the lightning.

Salcedo said this is the first death caused by lightning in the town from January to June 4 this year. 

The Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has reminded the public to stop all outdoor activities and get inside the house, building, or car with a sturdy roof during a thunderstorm to prevent accidents.

The PDRRMO also advised that the appliances and gadgets, such as the television, should be turned off and removed from the outlet.

“Stay away from windows and doors as well as on terraces. Stay away from electric posts, tall trees, and those in open areas. Wait for 30 minutes from the last lightning or thunder before going out,” the PDRRMO said.

Hi, my name is Sofronio Pal Taneo. I was out fishing at midnight when I got struck by lightning. Thankfully a neighbor saw what happened from his window and he attempted to rescue me. But it was too late as I was already dead.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1780520/fisherman-dead-after-lightning-hit-him-in-davao-city-waters

A man fishing along the waters off the coastline of Aplaya Beach in Lanang in this city died on the spot after lightning struck him shortly before midnight of Tuesday, June 6.

Police Major Jake Goles, Sasa police station chief, said Sofronio Pal Taneo, 65, a resident of Sitio Bolakan, Barangay Aquino of Agdao here, was hit by lightning and was immediately rescued by a certain Armand Alcociba, who saw the incident from the window of his house in Barangay Lizada.

Alcociba told the police that he immediately called his brother and friends to rescue the fisherman.

But although they retrieved Taneo’s body and brought him to the shore, their attempts to resuscitate him failed.

Responding police units and the search-and-rescue team of the Davao Central 991 also tried to revive the victim when they arrived at the scene but to no avail.

Taneo, a native of Manual Barangay Site in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, was declared dead by physicians and  was brought to a local funeral parlor for proper disposition.

Authorities have been warning individuals to keep away from flat areas and high grounds during thunderstorms; and to avoid using their cellular devices  as precautionary measures against lightning.

Early this year, five youths  were killed and another one survived up in the slopes of Barangay Binaton, Digos City, when a fierce lightning struck the makeshift hut, where they took shelter from the rain and thunder.

Hi, my name is Joel Cailo. A storm hit so I used a giant leaf to protect me from the rain. That was not enough to protect me from the lightning. Another farmer saw what happened and was able to retrieve my body with the help of a village offical.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1748083/lighting-kills-farmer-in-samar

A 42-year-old farmer in Gandara town, Samar province, died after he was hit by lightning during a heavy downpour on Friday, March 24.

Joel Cailo was using a giant leaf as cover while walking in an open rice field when the lightning struck him at around 2 p.m.

Another farmer, Lito Velarde, was able to take shelter in a nearby nipa house about 15 meters away from Cailo.

Velarde sought assistance from a village official to retrieve Cailo’s body, which sustained severe burns due to the lightning strike.

Lightning strikes are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the Philippines, particularly during thunderstorms. Experts suggest seeking immediate shelter indoors or inside a vehicle when a thunderstorm is detected.

Hi, my name is Jordan Batralo. I was collecting seashells along the coast when I was struck by a bolt go lightning and killed. Villagers recovered my body and alerted the authorities the next day. 

Hi, my name is John Alexander Ballon. I am an 11-year old 5th grade student. I was out swimming when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared and I was struck and killed by lightning. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1817280/lightning-strikes-kills-fisherman-boy-in-quezon

A fisherman and a boy died after lightning struck them in separate incidents in Quezon province on Monday, police said in a report on Wednesday, Aug. 16.

Quezon police said fisherman Jordan Batralo, 52, was collecting sea shells along the coast of Tayabas Bay in Barangay Soliyao Ibaba in Pitogo town when a bolt of lightning struck and hit him around 4 p.m. on Monday. His body was recovered by villagers who reported the incident to the police the next day.

In Lucena City, John Alexander Ballon, 11, was swimming in the waters off the coastal village of Dalahican when lightning struck him around 3 p.m.

Ballon suffered burn injuries and died while being taken to St. Anne General Hospital in the city center.

On Monday afternoon, heavy rains suddenly poured in the city accompanied by lightning and thunderstorms.

Hi, we are the Soberano family. We were farming charcoal when a storm hit so we took shelter in a nipa hut. But that was not enough as lightning struck the hut killing 3 of us and injuring 9 more. Even our dog died. Among the dead was a pregnant 14 year old girl. Her live-in partner said she was three months pregnant. 

https://www.panaynews.net/lightning-kills-3-injures-9-in-banate/

A lightning strike that hit a family of 12 killed three members in Sitio Giragid, Barangay Magdalo, Banate town around 12:18 p.m. yesterday.

Declared “dead upon arrival” at the hospital were Mila Soberano, 38; Rosalie Soberano, 48; and Britney Labos, 14, who was around three months pregnant, according to her live-in partner.

Meanwhile, injured were Felomino Sadiangibon, 77; Janelyn Igona, 38; Carlo Soberano, 11; Jumar Soberano, 42; Larry Soberano, 30; Sharime Soberano, 20; IJ Siberano, 20; Aime Soberano, 14; and Ivan Soberano, 44. They were treated at the Barotac Viejo District Hospital.

All are residents of Barangay Libertad, Banate.

Police Lieutenant Dandy Ilalto, chief of the Banate Municipal Police Station, said the victims were farming charcoal when the rain poured and they took shelter in a nipa hut.

A dog owned by one of the victims also died.