15-year-old girl in coma after hit by stray bullet, says doctor

January 2, 2017

A 15 year-old daughter of fish vendors in Malabon is in coma at the intensive care unit of Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC) after being hit by stray bullet during the New Year revelry Saturday.

Emmanuel Montana Jr. ,Medical Center Chief II of Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center said the girl was rushed to their hospital around 1 am of January 1. He told reporters her chances for survival are “very, very low.”

He said the victim, eldest of four children and a scholar at St James Academy, was watching a fireworks display outside their house when she lost consciousness around 11:45pm of December 31.

"She was hit on the upper right side of her head and it cross from right to left," the doctor said.

"We are giving support to the patient, as of now we are depressing the brain,. She is in ventilator because her breathing is also affected, but as of now we have given the necessary the anti tetanus, antibiotics, and to ease the swelling of the brain and other support," he added.

Montana admitted that even if the child will survive, the worst case scenario is she may become a "vegetable".

"We think that because of the swelling in affected big brain these is the (part of the brain) that controls our movement, it controls our speech, it controls our respiration, it controls everything in the body," he said.

Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said she was getting “teary-eyed because she was doing well in school and has a great future ahead.”

Eric Tayag, health department spokesman, calls for prayers for Calano. "We need miracle and we need prayers for her," he said.

But the National Capitol Region Police Office said the girl “was hit by a bullet in a shooting incident.” Chief Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, in a statement texted by his office to Daily Manila Shimbun, said :”We will investigate her case. Justice will be served.”

In an interview with her mother, she said her daughter helps them especially when they have to go to market to sell fish. "When we have to go to market, she always take care of her siblings, she even clean our house especially before new year," she said.

The mother asked the help of the government in finding the suspect who fired the gun.

"We just hope that the suspect will be arrested, because my daughter is in critical condition, we cannot do anything, how can we find (the suspect) if no one will help us," she said.

She hoped the government’s efforts against indiscriminate firing will be implemented strictly next year to prevent the same cases. Robina Asido/DMS