Wednesday, April 23, 2008 DepEd says no athletes in Palawan mishap
A DELEGATION of district supervisors of the Department of Education (DepEd) and principals from Batangas Division met an accident on their way to visit the El Nido High School e-learning station Tuesday morning.
In a phone interview, DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus said five district supervisors -- among 40 DepEd officials -- sustained minor injuries when the bus they were riding went off the road.
But Lapus clarified that no delegates to the Palarong Pambansa were involved in the accident. "All safety nets have been put in place to ensure that no untoward incident will disrupt the Palarong Pambansa," he said.
The DepEd officials who sustained minor injuries were identified as Erlinda Macalintal, Rosabel Cueva, Gertrudes Malabanan, Mormita Bulaklak, and Ligaya Silang. As of Tuesday afternoon, four were released from the hospital.
Meanwhile, Bulaklak is being transferred to the University of Santo Tomas hospital for further medical treatment.
Lapus immediately arranged for medical assistance for those injured. Together with DepEd, the Puerto Princesa City Government was quick to respond to the situation.
The DepEd chief assured that "this year's Palaro -- with over 10,000 participants -- is proceeding smoothly." (Press release)