Rice harvester rolls; farm hand killed in mishap

By Gabriel L. Cardinoza

UMINGAN, Pangasinan -- A farm helper was killed here Friday the 13th in what police called a "very rare" accident after being run over by a rice harvester in the farming village of Fulgosino here.
Maj. Arnold Soriano, police chief, identified the victim as Zaldy Silapan, 54, a resident of Barangay Abot Molina here.
    Soriano said Silapan and another helper, Edwin Abuan, 28, were harvesting palay that day using the rice harvester machine driven by Noel Bandarlipe, 32, when the accident happened.
    A rice harvester is a mobile machine that combines harvesting, threshing, cleaning and bagging in one mechanical operation.
    "They had just finished working in one part of the rice field and were moving to another span when the machine conked out and began to roll backward," said Soriano in a telephone interview.
    Silapan, who was positioned at the back of the harvester where the harvested palay was being bagged, jumped off the equipment, but he was caught by the machinery and ran over by the harvester.
    Silapan was rescued by his companions and taken to the Umingan Community Hospital, where he succumbed while being treated.