A 19-year-old college student drowned while trying to rescue his cousins in the Chico River in Barangay Calanan, Tabuk City, Kalinga, on Thursday, March 30.
The Tabuk City Police Station said the victim, Franz Dumaguing, of Lubuagan, Kalinga and Bulanao Centro, here, along with his cousins and friends, went to the river to celebrate friend Margielyn Galmid's birth anniversary.
The victim's girlfriend, Jeramey Malting Esperanza, told police that Dumaguing was taking a bath in the shallow part of the river at around 4:30 p.m. when he noticed his cousin, Phoebby Dalpis, and Ezekiel Tayem, drowning and asking for help.
Dumaguing and two friends came to their rescue but the victim was swept away by the strong current and failed to make it to the riverbank.
His friends called for help from residents and responders who conducted a search and rescue operation and found the victim unconscious under water. Dumaguing was taken to the Kalinga Provincial Hospital where he was declared dead.