Soldier drowns while en route to help flood victims in N. Samar
A military personnel was found dead on Wednesday, Jan. 11, after apparently drowning while on his way to the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (MDDRMO) in San Isidro, Northern Samar to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operation for flood victims in the area.

Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the 8th Infantry Division (8ID), identified the fatality as Corporal Jerry Palacio, of the 43rd Infantry Battalion (43rd IB).
A military report reaching Camp Aguinaldo said the 34-year-old Palacio went missing on Jan. 9 when he got “swept away by overflowing water current” and got “dragged downstream” while crossing a concrete bridge in Sitio KM6, Brgy. Happy Valley in San Isidro.
The 8th ID said Palacio and his colleagues were slated to conduct an HADR operation when the accident struck.
“He was en route to the MDRRMO in San Isidro to coordinate with the other agencies for the conduct of HADR and to monitor the effects of the continuous rainfall when the unfortunate incident happened,” Ligayo said.
A joint search, rescue and retrieval operation was conducted by the 43IB, Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to find Palacio until they found his body two days later at Mauo River, three kilometers away from the incident area.
Ligayo condoled with the family of Palacio even as he said that the fallen soldier “died trying to save the people of Northern Samar.”
“The Philippine Army will provide appropriate support and assistance to the breaved family,” he said.
Palacio’s body was brought to the Municipal Health Office of San Isidro for a postmortem examination before being turned over to his family in Mondragon, Northern Samar.
Incessant rains have been experienced in various areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao since Jan. 2 due to the trough of a low pressure area (LPA).
Based on the latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), at least 10 people have died and 438,622 individuals have been affected by the LPA rains in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Central Luzon (Region 3), Calabarzon (Region 4A), Mimaropa (Region 4B), Bicol Region (Region 5), Western Visayas (Region 6), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), Northern Mindanao (Region 10), Davao Region (Region 11), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).