Boy drowns, teen missing in San Juan tragedies

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A nine-year-old boy died while a female teenager was reported missing in separate drowning incidents in the towns of Candoni and Binalbagan in Negros Occidental during the Feast of San Juan on June 24.

In Candoni town, a boy drowned while swimming with his cousin in a river at Purok Panacmalan, Barangay East.

According to Major Junji Liba, Candoni police chief, the family failed to notice that the victim, whose name was withheld, went to the river.

The victim was found floating by bystanders after 10 minutes. He was declared dead on arrival at a hospital.

Meanwhile, in Binalbagan town, Search and Retrieval Operation is ongoing to find the 18-year-old girl who was reported missing in a river.

The teenage victim, whose identity has yet to be revealed, went to the town after she was invited by some friends to celebrate the feast of San Juan.

“Nangayaw lang ni siya, nahagaran sang mga barkada niya,” Police Major Fernando Somblingo, town police chief said.

The provincial government had ordered the closure of beach resorts from June 23 to June 25 to avoid mass gathering that could contribute to super spreader activities amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Despite the prohibition, some persons still went swimming in rivers.

In fact, there was a group of persons who were also caught by police splashing water at some motorists on the road in Barangay Sum-ag here that day.