People just watched as boy dies on street

By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent

BUTUAN City––The father of an eight-year old scavenger over the weekend blamed people in a neighborhood in Barangay San Ignacio and the police over the death if his son last week.
“Balut” vendor Arsenio Campos said his son Jade Randolf begged residents and motorists to bring him to a hospital after he accidentally touched a fence that was connected to a live electrical wire.
The practice of connecting live electrical wirings to fences to fend off thieveries are reportedly widespread in the city.
Campos, 33, said no one bothered to rush his boy to a hospital.
He said the incident happened at around 10 am on Montilla Street on Thursday, and there were many people at that time.
Campos said his son was still alive when he arrived some 30 minutes after the accident.
“My son was even crying, and whispered that I bring him to the hospital because he wanted to go to school on Monday (today),” he said.
When the accident happened, Campos said he was helping his wife Geraldine in selling vegetables.
Jade Randolf was the eldest of four children. His grandmother Generosa said Arsenio carried his son, and begged motorists to stop and help him bring the boy to the hospital.
Generosa said people just stood there and watched, and no one offered to help.
She said an ambulance arrived minutes later but the boy was already dead when they reached the hospital.
The boy was reportedly picking empty plastic bottles in the streets so he could sell these, and buy a notebook and pencil.
Arsenio said his son was excited to go to school today.
San Ignacio barangay chairperson Jocelyn Amado said they were unaware that the fence was connected to a live electrical wire.
She said there was no public notic or warning about the danger.