PNPA cadet succumbs after reception rites

(Screengrab from the PNPA website.)

LUCENA CITY – A plebe of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) in Silang, Cavite died on Saturday, June 18, while receiving treatment after an endurance test that he went through two weeks ago.

The Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) police, in a report on Sunday, June 19, said that PNPA plebe Rafael Sakkam expired at around 6:00 p.m. while being treated in Qualimed Hospital in neighboring Sta. Rosa City in Laguna.

The report said Sakkam collapsed on June 3 due to difficulty in breathing during the reception rites and was initially treated at the PNPA dispensary.

Four days later, Sakkam was transferred to Qualimed Hospital for further treatment but died on Saturday.

The report did not specify the cause of his death.

During reception rites, cadets were tasked to perform a series of exercises under the sun to test their endurance.

The rite was traditionally regarded as the cadets’ “baptism of fire.”

The PNPA is the training institution for future members of the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

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