Pass ‘Samboy Lim’ bill now

HERE’S hoping the untimely death of Blackwater cager Gilbert Bulawan will expedite the bill filed by Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao last year, when he was still representative of the first district of Pampanga.

Informally called the “Samboy Lim bill,” Guiao felt the strong need to file House Bill 5891 after the PBA legend suffered a heart attack while playing with fellow retired players in November 2014.

Under the bill, which the committee on basic education of the Lower House approved last year, all private and public school students will undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training at least once before they graduate.

By the time Lim got to the hospital, his heart had stopped beating. While doctors were able to revive his heart with a defibrillator, Lim fell into a coma.

Had he been given CPR immediately after the attack, doctors said Lim’s condition could have been reversed. Unfortunately, none from among those who were with him when he collapsed knew the procedure.

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In the case of the 29-year-old Bulawan, he was working out with the Elite when he collapsed after colliding with teammate Reil Cervantes. He just dropped dead and never regained consciousness, according to a teammate.

“He had been very stressed for sometime. His mother is seriously ill while his wife just had a miscarriage,” the teammate said.

Bulawan graduated from San Sebastian College with a degree in business management.