Cadet drowns rescuing

FORT DEL PILAR -- A 19-year-old cadet of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) lost his life while trying to save another in Baguio City.

PMA Cadet Lee Betong, 19, died while trying to save his brother and uncle in Ilocos Sur. The Betong family was on an outing in an irrigation dam in Sitio Bao-angan, Comillas South, Ilocos Sur when the tragedy struck.

Upon seeing his sibling and uncle drowning, Lee plunged into the water to save his sibling and came back to the waters to save his uncle. Police reports say the cadet was pulled by the strong undercurrent.

His body was retrieved by two persons who saw the incident but he was already unconscious and not breathing. He was brought to the Besang Pass Hospital in Cervantes but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

Cadet Betong was on break from his schooling in Japan when the incident happened and was expected to finish his schooling by 2017.

“The entire Philippine Military Academy is condoling with the bereaved family of Cadet Betong. His death is an accident and untimely and for that. The Philippine Military Academy is deeply saddened by the demise by one of its cadets,” a PMA statement read.

Agnes Lynette Flores of PMA said, “The Philippine Military Academy has extended support to the family of Cadet Betong.”

Betong is from Mankayan in Benguet and now lies in state at the residence of his grandfather in Sitio Batbato, Cabiten.

“Immediately after knowing about the incident, PMA sent personnel to Mankayan to look into the concerns of the family regarding the wake and burial of the cadet. The Command will also look into the benefits his family are entitled to bring about by his being a cadet in the Academy. The Command will extend any form of assistance, which is within its capacity, to the bereaved family of Cadet Betong,” Flores said.