00:00 Update, we are now in the second floor of the Parish of San Pedro Apostol
00:05 in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, in the middle of the mass for Ash Wednesday.
00:09 Let's go back there with Maris. Maris, please join us.
00:13 So, we are still here at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan,
00:26 where one in 55 people were injured in the incident of the second floor collapse of this church yesterday,
00:39 on Ash Wednesday.
00:42 And we can see here, I will just show this part, this is the whole part of the building.
00:54 And we can see that the whole area was destroyed.
01:00 What we are told is that yesterday, this is the time when the parishioners, the worshipers,
01:12 were praying and there was a concentration of people here in this part,
01:17 which is why this second floor was given.
01:22 What we are told is that most of them were hit by a fall, but there were also some up there,
01:31 which is why they were also injured.
01:33 One of the reasons why this was built is because of the old age and the wood was being used as a roof.
01:42 So, they were able to do a renovation, but because of the people's downfall at that time,
01:48 this second floor was given.
01:54 And it is said that the Malolos Bishop, Dennis C. Villarrojo,
02:05 this is the official statement of their bishop,
02:10 that the inspection of those who are in charge of the entire parish is being ordered.
02:15 They are hoping that there will be more worshipers during this time of the Quaresma.
02:21 Of course, there will be more people who will be going to the churches.
02:24 So, not only this church, but all the churches in the area
02:29 are being inspected so that this kind of incident will not happen again.
02:35 And to give us an additional update,
02:38 regarding the tragic incident that happened yesterday here in St. Peter the Apostle Parish,
02:45 we will be joining this morning,
02:47 Ma'am Gina Aizon, she is the head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
02:52 Good morning to you, Ma'am Gina.
02:55 Good morning, Ma'am Marisa, and good morning to all the viewers.
02:59 First of all, we are all in sympathy with what happened.
03:01 We are all sympathetic.
03:03 There were many other injuries, aside from the 80-year-old parishioner who passed away.
03:10 Can you please explain to us,
03:13 we have already received information that he was hit by a car.
03:17 But how did the situation really happen?
03:20 Why did this portion of the area already give up,
03:24 while the concentration of the people was still here?
03:28 Did the people really gather here during that time?
03:32 Yes, actually, the people really gathered that day because it was Ash Wednesday.
03:37 This portion of the area where our parishioners gathered to worship the Lord,
03:43 because of the old age, and we saw that it was being inhabited,
03:48 the people gathered there, and that was the reason why the area of the church was destroyed.
03:55 So, it means that you saw, you already knew that this area was being inhabited?
04:01 Actually, no.
04:02 When it fell, and we saw that it was inhabited,
04:05 you can see that this area is clean,
04:07 and there are no signs that it is inhabited.
04:10 But when it fell, we were also surprised, even the priest,
04:13 that there are still inhabitants in the area of the second floor.
04:19 How long has this church been here?
04:21 Why is it said that the old age and the damage caused by the second floor fell?
04:27 According to our church workers, this church is more than 30 years old.
04:33 But the renovation is continuous?
04:36 Yes, repainting and what else? They are doing it continuously.
04:38 Only the repainting?
04:40 Yes, because when they saw that there is an old age,
04:43 they are doing it in a way that is good for the parishioners.
04:47 Okay, so there are really no signs.
04:50 But how are we going to do it?
04:52 So, the woman, Nita Morales, she is the 80-year-old parishioner.
04:59 She is a choir member, but not here in the church.
05:02 Yes, ma'am.
05:04 She is a choir member in the De La Costa Home Street,
05:06 but she regularly attends the mass here in Tungkong Manggap, St. Peter.
05:13 And most of the wounds and the one that was healed,
05:17 Ma'am Nita, are they here below or above?
05:20 They are below because at the moment, it is a queue for the abo.
05:25 And because this is cement, it is really heavy, they were really crushed there?
05:29 Yes, they were crushed.
05:30 Actually, ma'am, the structure above is wood.
05:33 Oh, it's wood.
05:34 It's wood.
05:35 Of course, the impact is big.
05:37 But there is also a part that is like steel.
05:41 It's also cement.
05:42 How was the rescue operations yesterday?
05:45 Was it fast to bring the wounds to the hospital?
05:49 Actually, when they called around 7.20,
05:52 there were not yet 8, all of them were already taken out by the patient.
05:57 The response was fast because we have an ambulance here in our home in Punong, Lungsod.
06:04 So, they responded first, plus the Tungkong Mangga Barangay,
06:07 then the city rescue, all of them together,
06:11 to take out all the patients to be safe.
06:15 Because the fall continued, all of the patients were taken out at that time.
06:22 In the 55 wounds, how many are still critical in the situation now?
06:27 For now, we are still taking care of 4 in the hospital.
06:31 One is 82 years old with multiple fracture,
06:34 one is 70 years old with leg fracture,
06:37 then the 49 years old with a wrist fracture that needs surgery,
06:43 and the 64 years old with hypertension.
06:47 How is your relationship with the Church?
06:49 I understand that the Church will close the hospital first.
06:52 Who will be responsible for the expenses of the wounds and the fall?
06:57 For now, the Church will not hold mass until the hospital is fully assessed.
07:04 But all the expenses of the patients brought to all hospitals will be paid by the local government.
07:11 We are very grateful and sympathize with the incident here.
07:15 Thank you very much for the information you gave us,
07:18 Ma'am Gina Ayzon, she is the head of the City Disaster Reduction and Management Office of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
07:25 Thank you very much and take care.
07:28 And blessed Lenten season to all of us.
07:31 Thank you.
07:33 [News broadcast]
07:46 [Music]
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