How Natonin’s ‘Fulig’ brought woman in labor to the hospital

On Independence Day, a pregnant woman from Sitio Batnong, Barangay Banawal in Natonin was in labor and needed to be taken to the hospital; the problem, however, is that she lives in an area not accessible to vehicles which is about an hour away from the highway.

Using the traditional ‘fulig,’ the police and the community came to her rescue.

‘Fulig’ is another traditional form of Bayanihan in Natonin, where people make an improvised stretcher made of a blanket fastened to a bamboo pole. The patient will be placed in the blanket and two people will carry the patient on their shoulder using both sides of the bamboo pole.

This custom is being practiced especially in remote areas being the easiest and most convenient way to transport the sick and elderly as they negotiate the mountain trails.

Helping the pregnant woman

Police Staff Sergeant Cristobal Andawe of the Natonin Municipal Police Station narrated that they were having a flag-raising ceremony in observance of the 123rd Independence Day this June 12 when they received a call from a husband whose wife is in labor around 7:00 in the morning.

Andawe and his comrades then promptly drove towards the area. However, they had to stop at the highway and had to walk for approximately an hour to get to the pregnant woman who was then waiting to be brought to the hospital.

Upon arrival, the team of police along with the civilians carried the pregnant woman using their improvised stretcher and walked for an hour to get to the police mobile waiting on the road.

Through the effort of the police and civilians, the pregnant woman was rushed to Anastacia Rafael Sagel Memorial Hospital in Barangay Poblacion where she was given the needed medical intervention.

Andawe said they are yet to visit the woman in the hospital.

Police and community relation

Andawe further explained that during Fulig, the community usually seeks the help of the police and they made sure the hotline is known in the barrios.

“Iti hotline iti PNP naiwar-waras iti bar-barrio dayta ma’am isunga ammu da wennu haan, diay kabagyan da wennu kailyan da pulis iti tawagan da, diay mismo a number da,” he said.

Chief of Philippine National Police, General Lorenzo Eleazar, in a statement, lauded the act, saying that the police team showed that the uniformed personnel will never get tired of responding to people in need.

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