Teen drowns in Pototan river, body found hours later

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A 16-year-old boy drowned in a river in Barangay Cansilayan, Pototan, Iloilo, late Tuesday afternoon, March 31, with his body recovered the following morning.

The victim, identified only as alias Jake, was a Grade 10 student from the same village. He was with three companions — Kim, 19; Alexander, 18; and Quade, 15 — when the incident occurred.

The group had been playing and chasing each other near the river before they eventually went swimming. At around 3 p.m., the companions noticed Jake struggling to stay afloat. They threw a piece of wood to help him, but it did not reach him in time.

The three called out for help, and nearby residents responded and conducted a search, but Jake was not found that afternoon.

Members of the Mountain Tigers rescue group retrieved his body at around 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday, April 1, roughly 5 meters from where he was last seen, according to Patrolman Alvin Provido, Pototan police investigator.

Provido surmised that the victim could have experienced muscle cramps that disabled him to swim to safety.