PNPA mourns death of new cadet

LUCENA CITY – The Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) has expressed grief over the loss of new cadet Rafael Sakkam who died on Saturday, June 18.

“The needs of Cadet Sakkam were all provided by the PNPA administration during his hospitalization until his burial today following strict Islamic tradition,” the PNPA said in an official statement posted on its Facebook page Sunday evening.

It added: “The family is likewise requesting for privacy as they mourn his demise.”

The PNPA said Sakkam, a member of PNPA Class 2026, is survived by his family from Sinunuc, Zamboanga City.

“Sakkam was immediately admitted to the said hospital on June 7, 2022, after becoming unconscious during an afternoon road run due to heat stroke (that was later confirmed in his medical certificate and final diagnosis),” the PNP explained, contradicting an earlier report by the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) police report issued Sunday morning.

The PNPA said Sakkam died at about 6:01 p.m. on Saturday due to cardiac arrest while confined in the intensive care unit of Qualimed Hospital in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.

The PNPA said the “Commandant, Tactics Group adopted tight measures and suitable interventions to guarantee sufficient hydration of all cadets during summer training and to prevent a repeat of the same from happening.”

The PNPA has assured the public that the academy “will never cease working to establish effective yet proactive approaches to our cadets’ training and development, with top priority given to their health, safety, and well-being.”

The Calabarzon police report stated that “on June 3, 2022, while undergoing reception rites, subject cadet (Sakkam) bogged down due to difficulty in breathing and was initially treated at the PNPA dispensary.”

Four days later on June 7, Sakkam was transferred to Qualimed Hospital for further treatment but died on Saturday.

The report did not specify the cause of his death.

READ: PNPA cadet succumbs after reception rites