By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A trainee police officer passed away Wednesday morning after reportedly collapsing during a training exercise at the Police Public Safety Company Regional Training Center in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.

Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) director, Police Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, identified the individual as 22-year-old Police Officer 1 Frenz Galen Samillano Frades of Barangay 8, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique.

Based on information forwarded to the regional police director, Frades was undergoing physical exercises the prior evening when he collapsed. The aspiring police officer was immediately brought to the Bacolod City Doctors’ Hospital and later transferred to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital for treatment.

Frades passed away the following morning.

Bulalacao said initial findings reported the police trainee may have suffered from heat stroke.

While Frades’ medical tests also showed he was physically fit to undergo training, his death was later attributed to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which is when the brain is deprived of oxygen. According to Hope for HIE, an organization devoted to raising awareness about HIE, it often affects babies and infants. Among the known causes include aneurysm rupture and cardiac arrest.

Bulalacao said, while the training team, which is composed of uniformed members of the Philippine National Police, performed their duties under the presumption of regularity, he ordered an investigation into the incident.

The PRO-6 chief also extended his condolences to Frades’ family and assured them all benefits and claims would be processed.

He added, results of the investigation will be made public once completed and all due diligence and care are being exercised to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future./DGB, WDJ