Incoming Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna became an instant hero at the 124th Independence Day celebration at the Luneta Park yesterday morning, after the event was marred by confusion when Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana complained of dizziness and had to be brought to an ambulance on standby.
(from fb post of Mela Lesmoras)
It was learned that the ceremony had just begun when Lorenzana felt weak and dizzy and then fell backward on Lacuna, who was standing right behind him, but whose attention was to her left side at that time.
Lorenzana’s backward fall startled Lacuna, who was said to have almost fallen too, as she tried but failed to catch him fully, since he was too heavy for her.
Lacuna initially caught Lorenzana with both hands but his weight was too much for her so that he slipped straight to the concrete ground, although the impact had been cushioned somehow.
A lady doctor herself, Lacuna was among those who joined in rushing the 71-year-old Lorenzana to the ambulance that was parked near the site of the event where President Rodrigo Duterte and several cabinet officials were also in attendance.
Once the ambulance had left, the event continued as scheduled. As of this writing, the condition of Lorenzana is said to be stable and he is already up and about.
Lacuna expressed hope that the DND Secretary will have himself subjected to an MRI or CT scan since his head hit the floor and that he will be alright and good as new after his admission to a hospital.
Duterte was said to have been talking to the diplomatic corps and generals so that he did not readily notice the commotion.
Meanwhile, Mayor Isko Moreno and Lacuna joined the nation in paying tribute not only to our national heroes who laid their lives for us to have the freedom we enjoy today, but also to the frontliners who paid the ultimate price of sacrificing their very own lives during this pandemic.
Moreno and Lacuna also commended those frontliners who got infected and survived, for having risked their own safety and that of their loved ones, just to be able to save others.
The two top officials of Manila themselves got infected with COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.
As of presstime,DND spokesman Dir. Arsenio Andolong said orenzana is currently in stable condition and has been advised to rest. “The SND just arrived from Singapore early this morning after attending the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue and meeting with his foreign counterparts. The Secretary also traveled recently to South Korea and other parts of the Philippines, while overseeing the defense operations of the country and transition to a new administration. His hectic schedule during the last few weeks and the extreme temperatures in Luneta earlier today may have resulted in his fatigue,” he said in a statement. (Baby Cuevas/Victor Baldemor)
