RP Coast Guard to give diver highest award posthumously

For almost two decades until last Friday, Police Officer 3 Arman Bonifacio was just one of the nameless and faceless Coast Guard divers who did their duties diligently. But his death in the line of duty changed all that. After losing his life retrieving bodies of the victims of M/V Catalyn B tragedy, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is planning to give him the agency’s highest honors – but posthumously. The PCG is preparing to bestow the 42 year-old diver a Coast Guard Cross award, the highest honor a member of the agency could get, Claire Delfin’s report on GMA’s Unang Balita said. Bonifacio was supposed to be on leave on Friday, but he decided to help recover victims’ bodies upon learning that the operation lacked volunteers, the report said. "Proud po talaga ako sa asawa ko, ginawa niya yun kahit meron siyang nararamdaman, kinaya niya talaga para sa kanyang trabaho. Tapat siya talaga sa trabaho niya, (I'm proud of my husband because even if he was not feeling well, he tried to do his best for his work)," Bonifacio’s wife Marabel said. Bonifacio had served for more than 18 years in nearly all search-and-rescue operations in Philippine waters, including those undertaken after SuperFerry 14 sank off Bataan in 2004 and the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy sank off Romblon in 2008. He had also been the team leader for several rescue operations in the wake of cyclones Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma). “Simbolo siya ng makabagong bayani sa ating bansa (he is a symbol of modern-day hero in our country)," said PCG spokesman Lt. Com. Armand Balilo in a text message to Unang Balita. His death is “puzzling," PCG commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said, especially since initial investigation showed that nothing was wrong with his diving equipment. Bonifacio died Friday afternoon at the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital after his condition worsened despite having been initially taken to a decompression chamber aboard the search-and-rescue ship BRP Pampanga, Tamayo said. In an earlier statement, Tamayo said that Bonifacio showed symptoms of decompression upon surfacing. In an interview with GMANews.TV, Dr. Jose Florencio Lapeña Jr. of Philippine General Hospital said that decompression sickness (also known as ‘the bends’) is experienced by divers who surface rapidly from a deep dive. This is caused by release of inert gases (usually nitrogen or helium), which forms bubbles in tissues as the pressure around the body falls suddenly. “The sickness comes in two types: Mild (type 1) has skin mottling and joint pain as symptoms. Serious (type 2) can cause blindness, hemiparesis, sensory disturbances, spinal cord lesions, chest pains and difficulty breathing (‘the chokes’) and death unless oxygen and recompression in a pressure chamber is administered as soon as possible," he said, adding that patient factors, such as problems with brain, spinal cord, heart, or lungs should also be considered. In recognition of Bonifacio’s exemplary dedication to his work, Malacañang will give him full burial honors on January 17 at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. - Carmela Lapeña/LBG/RJAB, Jr., GMANews.TV