City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRMMO) head Teodulfo Bombeo said in a Facebook post Friday, June 10, that the crocodile was seen by two residents.
The CDRMMO received the report and proceeded to the area and conducted an initial investigation.
The crocodile, Bombeo said, was first seen by a certain Ernesto Ragmac, 44, a residents of the area, Thursday, June 9, followed by Kajushua Gando, 28, who saw the crocodile the following day, Friday, June 10.
The CDRRMO head said based on information from the witnesses, the crocodile has an estimated length of around five feet and is three feet wide.
Bombeo asked residents to cooperate by temporarily minimizing or avoiding seawater activities to prevent unwanted incidents.
“The city government of El Salvador is advising the people to avoid activities in the seawaters so that we can avoid any accidents,” Bombeo said in the vernacular in his Facebook post.
Noli Adrian Gabule, head of the El Salvador City Agriculture Office, in an interview over DXCC RMN Cagayan de Oro via Facebook live, said they are investigating to confirm the presence of the crocodile.
They also received the report and immediately directed its Bantay Dagat personnel to conduct a seaborne patrol of the area but they have not seen the crocodile.
“Our only focus is to take precautionary measures and we already informed our coastal barangays. We will continue our seaborne patrol because we will not neglect this incident. However, we cannot confirm as of the moment the alleged crocodile. Those were just allegations,” Gabule said in the vernacular.
Gabule urged the public to not panic and just follow the directives of authorities.