JOLO ISLAND (Frencie Carreon / 21 Aug) Fire fighter Rustom Calleja, of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Jolo island, is now past the critical stage, as he survived a period of trauma and physical pain after having been shot by an unidentified man here.
The 33-year old firefighter was on his way to buy gasoline in a gas shop near the fire station at past seven in the evening of August 10, when an unidentified gunman shot him in the head with a .45-caliber pistol.
Calleja was taken to the trauma center of the Joint Special Operations Task Force- Philippines Forward at the Philippine Army headquarters in Camp Bautista in Busbus village in Jolo and later airlifted to Zamboanga City.
The bullet slammed hard behind Calleja's left ear, and exited through his left eye, leaving him half-blind now. His wife, Lerhan, said the officer is now suffering from partial memory loss which she hopes to be temporary.
"It was a show of terror," said one of the local bystanders who saw Calleja slumped to the ground after he was shot. His attacker remains unidentified, but the Abu Sayyaf group is actively operating on the island.
Yesterday morning, US troops stationed in Zamboanga City contributed thousands of pesos to help pay Calleja’s medical bills and other expenses after they learned that the Filipino, who has a seven-year old son and a two-year old daughter, cannot afford to pay the hospital bill.
The cash contribution was presented to the Calleja couple at the hospital by JSOTF-P Chaplain Young Song and Dr Greg McKrum, on behalf of their commander, Col. James Linder.
"Napakabait ng mga Amerikano (The Americans are very kind)," said Lerhan. "They are very helpful, and supportive. Even Calleja’s doctors said it was very lucky that the victim was brought to the trauma center in Jolo before siya dinala sa Zamboanga. Nung naroon si Rustom (Calleja), walang tulog ang mga Amerikano.
“Talagang inalagaan nila si Rustom at malaki talaga ang pasasalamat ko dahil gumaan ang pakiramdam ko na mayroon kang kagabay sa time na gusto kong magwala dahil sa sakit ng loob sa naganap,” said Lerhan. “We are very thankful that Rustom was airlifted by a US helicopter from Jolo to Zamboanga. "Naagapan talaga sa oras, dahil doon. Napakalaking tulong noon. He was saved just in time.”
"Taos-puso kaming nagpapasalamat sa mga miyembro ng US forces at sa tulong nila. Napakabait nilang talaga (We are wholeheartedly thankful to the US forces for their help. They are truly kind)," she said, sobbing in between words.
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