Teen missing after drowning incident in Sipalay

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – Search and recovery efforts are ongoing for a 14-year-old boy who went missing after reportedly drowning at Campomanes Bay in Barangay Maricalum, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, on Sunday.

Ensign James Carbajosa, acting commander of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-southern Negros Occidental, said the victim and his three cousins, aged 13 to 18, went jogging and later decided to walk along the beach around 2 p.m.

Despite bad weather conditions, they decided to go swimming.

Carbajosa said strong winds and big waves separated the cousins, and the victim was pulled into the deeper part of the sea. His three cousins were safely rescued.

Executive Assistant Dionilo Bogtae, head of the Public Safety and Sipalay Emergency Assistance and Rescue Services (SEARS), said search operations are being hampered by strong winds, currents, and poor visibility.

“It’s zero visibility, but we are continuing our efforts to search for him,” Bogtae said.

Meanwhile, Irene Bel Ploteña, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD), reported that as of 7 p.m. on September 15, 120 barangays in 18 local government units (LGUs) across Negros Occidental have been affected by the southwest monsoon (habagat).

Affected areas include the towns of San Enrique, Moises Padilla, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Pontevedra, Cauayan, Hinigaran, Valladolid, Murcia, La Castellana, Pulupandan, Isabela, Binalbagan, and the cities of La Carlota, Bago, Sipalay, Kabankalan, and Himamaylan.

Ploteña said 20,760 families, or 65,150 individuals, have been displaced due to flooding. Of these, 2,981 families are in evacuation centers, while 10,145 families are staying outside the centers.

As of September 15, Bago City Hospital resumed normal operations after temporarily suspending consultations due to bad weather and flooding the previous day.