UPLB pools funds for bus blast survivor

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—Former classmates and professors of Niko Niño Briones at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) are raising funds for his recovery from severe injuries he suffered during an explosion inside a bus in Bukidnon province last week.

Briones, 25, was on his way home from work as a researcher for Central Mindanao University (CMU) when a bomb went off inside the Rural Transit bus on Dec. 9.

The attack, which President Aquino recently described as an attempt to thwart the peace process in Mindanao, left 10 people dead and 41 others injured. (Briones was presumed dead in earlier media reports, according to his elder brother Garie.)

Karla Manigbas, Briones’ girlfriend, said he was among those who were standing on the aisle during the ride as the bus was already full of passengers, mostly CMU students.

“Not more than two minutes after the bus started moving that the bomb went off,” she said.

Bomb fragments tore a major artery near Briones’ underarm and damaged his lungs and intestines.

Trauma

His friends posted his condition online and was able to raise close to P100,000 for his hospital expenses, Manigbas said.

Briones, a graduate of biology, worked as a UPLB research assistant during his senior year in college. He moved to a company marketing research equipment before returning to his hometown in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon last year to be with his parents.

“He is supposed to go back to Los Baños in January to take a master’s degree. He might have to defer that now because doctors said rehabilitation may take months,” said his brother, Garie, 37.

In a phone interview on Monday, Garie said his brother was showing “remarkable improvement” and was already able to speak with them after almost a week at the intensive care unit of Valencia Sanitarium and Hospital Foundation in Valencia City.

Briones underwent two major operations in the hospital, where he and other victims were brought by motorists.

On the way, “Niko had to tell himself to keep fighting in order to survive,” Garie said. He also kept his strength even after losing much blood that he was able to scream at the doctors his blood type for the transfusion.

“Every second wasted brought him closer to death,” Garie said.

He described the incident as a “senseless act of violence” but said their family was still trusting the government to bring them justice.

The explosion traumatized not only them but the university community, Garie said.

“A CMU teacher said students become paranoid whenever they hear ambulance (sirens). Others refused to ride buses and opted to cancel Christmas parties,” he said.