Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Adm. Artemio Abu on Friday, Sept. 8, visited the wake of a PCG personnel who drowned while in the middle of a search and rescue (SAR) operation in Tubao, La Union.
Abu rendered a salute to Petty Officer Third Class (PO3) Ponciano Nisperos Jr. during his wake in Brgy. Carlatan, San Fernando City, Pampanga. In the uniformed service, a salute is one of the highest forms of paying respect or honor to an individual.
“Admiral Abu recognized the heroism of PO3 Nisperos and thanked his family for supporting his dream of serving the country as a Coast Guardian,” PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said in a statement.
Nisperos, a member of the Special Operations Group-North Western Luzon (SOG-NWLZN), was among those who responded to a drowning incident in Sitio Daeng, Barangay Halog East, Tubao, La Union last Sept. 5 when he lost balance and got swept away by raging water while crossing a river to secure a safety line for his comrades.
Nisperos was unconscious when he was found by his fellow PCG rescuers. He was rushed to La Union Medical Center but was declared dead on arrival by the doctors.
The PCG earlier said that it will extend all the necessary assistance to the bereaved family of the fallen PCG rescuer.