PMA cadet who was shot in jeepney robbery remains in coma

Cadet 1st Class Alfonso Aviles

MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine Military Academy cadet remained in coma Monday at an intensive care unit of a military hospital after being shot in a robbery incident in Quezon City Saturday noon, the military said.

Alfonso Aviles was on a passenger jeepney when a lone gunman declared a holdup as the vehicle reached the corner of Regalado and Mindanao avenues in Greater Lagro village. The cadet tried to prevent the robbery but the robber shot him in the neck.

“Today is the second post operative day of Cadet Aviles. He is under close monitoring for intracranial pressure. During his operation at the AFP Medical Center, one slug has been removed from his head,” military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr told reporters Monday.

Burgos said that the victim had been comatose since the shooting and has undergone two surgeries, adding the cadet is under a life support system.

A medical bulletin released by the V. Luna Medical Center Monday afternoon said Aviles showed stable vital signs after a blood transfusion.

“He is expected to remain in the ICU for at least one week,” Burgos said.

Aviles will be accorded the same benefits of a soldier as a cadet under training of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he also said.

Meanwhile, Burgos also called on the public who may have information that could help identify and capture the robber.

“Their cooperation is important in ensuring that justice is achieved,” he said.

Aviles traveled to Manila to serve as a proctor for the PMA entrance examination. He was granted a “privilege” by his officer-in-charge to visit his family in Bulacan and was on his way back to the billeting area when the holdup happened.