MANILA, Philippines—The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s rescue and medical team said Tuesday that they had attended to over 400 people, many of them complaining of headache, at the site of the massive religious gathering of the sect Iglesia ni Cristo at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila’s Rizal Park.
It also reported that an 8-year-old boy who had been tagged along by his neighbor at the gathering, dubbed as “grand evangelical mission,” was left alone after his guardian was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.
Edward Gonzales, head of the MMDA 50-member rescue and medical team, said that they had attended to 420 patients since 12 noon Monday, adding that most of them had complained of difficulty in breathing and headache.
He said that the MMDA had three medical tents and four ambulances scattered around the Quirino Grandstand.
As of 5 p.m. when the affair started, the Philippine National Police estimated the number of the INC faithful gathered at the event at 200,000, adding that the situation around the area was peaceful.
Mediarich Lamianosa of the MMDA rescue team said that Marvin Gavara, 8, who was left at the MMDA’s medical tent after his neighbor, identified as Marife Tingga, was taken to the Ospital ng Maynila when she lost consciousness, wore a blue polo shirt and blue printed cargo pants.
A piece of paper found in the boy’s pocket had the following written:
Marife Tingga
Lokal ng Sto. Cristo
Care of Ka (Sonny) Rafael Agbuya
0905 515 9115
0912 258 9309
0919 535 0553
The note also said that they were on bus 6002 bearing plate number TXV 488.—Jamie Elona