BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
IT is the “death of a hero,” says lawyer Asis Perez, former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director, regarding the demise of a BFAR regulatory officer during a rescue operation in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan province.
The onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses on Wednesday with continuous heavy downpour caused some 20 rivers to swell and filled the Cagayan River causing massive flooding in Isabela and Cagayan provinces.
“With much sorrow, I learned of the demise of a former comrade, Henry Kelly Villarao, Fisheries Regulatory Officer I, during the rescue operations by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Quick Response Team (BFAR-QRT) in Tuguegarao City,” Perez said in a Facebook post.
He said Villarao and his team braved going upstream against the floodwater from Aparri town to Tuguegarao City in Cagayan province on a three-hour trip to participate in a critical rescue operation.
On Friday night, Villarao lost his life saving some residents of Tuguegarao City with his team at BFAR-QRT, particularly in the flooded Barangay Linao. Reports said he unknowingly was coming too close to a live wire and was electrocuted.
Perez described Villarao and the BFAR-QRT as strong swimmers, trained in scuba operations and are well equipped for the job.
“But after saving lives whole day, they tripped a live wire on their final rescue attempt, where he was killed instantly,” he said adding “Villarao offered the ultimate price in the fulfillment of the difficult but proud tradition of the of BFAR-QRT.”
A native of Barangay Casitan in Gonzaga town, Cagayan province, Villarao is survived by his wife Melanie Villarao who is BFAR-Region 2 National Stock Assessment Program project leader and a 5-month-old baby boy.
He was also the Company Commander of Class Maalab of BFAR Law Enforcement Training Program.