A two-year-old boy in Quezon City died of electrocution after sticking a metal spoon into an electrical outlet.
The boy, Jake Angara, died on Feb. 19 just 12 days after his second birthday last Feb. 7.
Eloisa Acay Angara, Jake's mother, said she left a spoon she used to prepare Jake’s milk, but said it was placed in an area that was out of reach.
“Nung time na bubuksan ko na yung pintuan, may pumutok. Kinabahan na ako. Pero akala ako may nalaglag lang or what. Napasigaw na yung asawa ko ang sabi niya lang ‘si Jake na-ground,' (When I was about to open the door, I heard a bang so I got nervous, but I thought something just fell or what. Then my husband screamed and said Jake was grounded),” Eloisa told GMA News in an interview.
In a Facebook post, Mharc Louise Angara, Jake’s uncle, described his nephew as a caring, smart, and obedient child.
“Di ko ma-imagine na uuwi ako ng walang Jake na sasalubong dahil alam na meron akong pasalubong, (I can’t imagine going home without Jake welcoming me because he knows I have something for him),” he said.
Mharc has also sought financial assistance for the expenses of his nephew’s burial.
In her Facebook wall, Eloisa bid farewell to Jake who will be buried Tuesday, Feb. 23.
“Lagi mo kaming gabayan please. Sobrang bigat, sobrang sakit. Hinfi namin alam saan kami kukuha ng lakas sa nangyari. Miss na miss na kita…mahal na mahal na mahal kita. Isa ka na ngayong anghel naming lahat (Always guide us, please. Everything is so heavy and painful. We don’t know where we’ll get our strength after what happened. We miss you…we love you. You’re now our angel),” she wrote.
Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga urged parents to keep their children away from any electrical outlet.
“Maari talagang maaksidente ‘pag iyan ay kinalikot o mayroong object na bakal na ininsert o kaya iyong daliri inilagay mimso doon sa opening ng outlet. Kung maari po siguro to make sure na safe po iyan, ilayo po natin iyong mga anak natin sa maliliit sa access nung mga outlets (This kind of accident can happen if you try to poke it or insert a metal object or stick your finger in the opening of the outlet. As much as possible, to make sure that things remain safe, keep your children away from any outlets),” Zaldarriaga told GMA News.