NBI probes death of Coast Guard trainee

MANILA, Philippines—The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has started looking into the mysterious death of a coast guard trainee on board a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel last month.

NBI stepped into the scene after Arlene and Edgar, parents of 22 year-old Dharryll Mojica, sought the bureau’s help by writing to Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. The justice chief endorsed the complaint to the NBI’s Death Investigation Division.

On Sept. 23, the victim was allowed to go out of the PCG compound and he visited his relatives in Cavite. On Sept. 24, he sent a text message that he was late returning to the PCG by six minutes and he would be punished.

Then at 8:50 a.m. of Sept. 25, relatives of Mojica were informed that the victim was brought to the Emergency Room of the PCG medical personnel. The victim was allegedly electrocuted while taking a bath.

However, the family, in their letter to the DOJ, expressed doubts on what happened due to the findings of the doctors at the Philippine General Hospital that two liters of water were extracted from his lungs.

Mojica’s family also visited De Lima Tuesday.

The NBI-DID, meanwhile, will visit the BRP San Juan where the victim died. Probers are waiting for the copy of the autopsy report.