At least six individuals have perished due to separate drowning incidents in different parts of the country this Holy Week, authorities said on Good Friday, March 29.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel retrieved the remains of two 14-year-old drowning victims in Solana, Cagayan on Maundy Thursday.
They were identified as Aldrin Mabborang, of Brgy. Andarayan North, and David Miguel Caasi, of Brgy. Basi West, both in Solana town.
According to PCG, the teenage boys were hanging out with their friends at Purok 7 in Brgy. Natappian in Solana when they decided to do leisure bathing at a nearby river on Holy Wednesday.
“The two victims, who also did not know how to swim, unconsciously reached a deep part of the river, causing them to drown,” the PCG said.
A search and rescue operation was conducted but the bodies of the young boys were found a day after they went missing.
Three other fatalities were also recorded by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Maundy Thursday.
One was a toddler who reportedly drowned in a fish pond in Calamaniugan, Cagayan; an eight-year-old boy who reportedly died at a resort in Tacloban City; and a male visitor at a beach in San Fabian, Pangasinan.
In Davao del Norte, a 16-year-old boy also drowned while on a family trip in Panabo City on Holy Wednesday, the PNP said.
The boy asked permission from his mother to go swimming at a river near the location where their family was holding a picnic in Barangay New Malitbog around 2 p.m.
However, the boy failed to return an hour later, prompting his mother to seek the assistance of nearby authorities to search for him. His body was found floating on the river around 4:40 p.m.
The PCG and PNP reminded the public to be vigilant when going on swimming trips this Holy Week, a period where the number of drowning incidents usually spikes.
Parents and guardians were also told to keep an eye on their children especially during outings at swimming pools, beaches, seas, or rivers.
According to PNP, 68 people died due to drowning during last year’s Holy Week.