BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS & DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
ILOILO – A total of six deaths due to drowning in Western Visayas were recorded during the feast day of St. John the Baptist, locally known as “San Juan”, on Saturday, June 24.
Of the six, two were from the province of Iloilo, and one each from the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental, data from the Police Regional Office (PRO-6) showed.
Authorities identified the Iloilo fatalities as 65-year-old Rolando Arias Tañada, who drowned in Barangay Namocon, Tigbauan town; and 30-year-old Freddie Divinagracia who drowned in Barangay Pantalan, Anilao. Divinagracia was allegedly drunk when he went swimming at the beach.
In Aklan, the fatality was identified as 57-year-old Matilde Delfin. Police said rescuers at the beach in Barangay Ochando, New Washington town tried to revive Delfin, and rushed her to a hospital where she was declared “dead on arrival.”
In the town of Pilar in Capiz, authorities recovered the body of Joemar Ocayo after around two hours of search and rescue operation.
Police said Ocayo reportedly jumped off the bamboo raft he was riding together with his family, and failed to surface.
Nueva Valencia, Guimaras native Jomar Soriano, 40, was found lifeless by rescuers while taking a swim at the beach in the town’s Sitio Talisay, Barangay Poblacion.
According to authorities, Soriano suffered muscle cramps which caused the drowning.
In Negros Occidental, 28-year-old Joseph Ragasa drowned at the Malogo River in Barangay Alicante, E.B. Magalona town. He was declared “dead on arrival” at the hospital in Silay City.
As of this writing, the personnel of the PRO-6, Philippine Coast Guard in Western Visayas and other concerned agencies were conducting further investigations regarding the aforementioned drowning incidents./PN
