Road trip turns tragic for 10 friends

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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO and IAN PAUL CORDERO
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Tuesday, October 10, 2017
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ILOILO City – Crossing a river on their way home after swimming at the foot of Nadsadjan Falls in Barangay Passi, Igbaras, Iloilo, a group of 10 young men were suddenly swept away by strong water current.

One of them died while three were injured.

The Igbaras police identified the fatality as 30-year-old Deolly Magbanua of the municipality of Zarraga.

The three others injured were Kent John Panizales, Bryan Ortega and Jefferson Dilag, all of Zarraga, too. They were brought to the district hospital in Guimbal town.

The incident happened on Sunday around 2:45 p.m., according to Inspector Oman Estabillo, Igbaras police chief.

Water from the mountains suddenly came rushing as the men were crossing the river and they were swept away, he said.

Magbanua’s body was found in neighboring Barangay Igtalongon.

According to Estabillo, the men went to the falls without passing the town’s tourism office to log-in and pay the environmental fee.

Had they passed by the tourism office, they would have been advised which safer trail to take.

“Wala silang guide from the tourism office. Hindi nila kabisado ang area,” said Estabillo.

The survivors were John Denver Amion, 21; Rolando Penida, 31; John Efren Octaviano, 26; Robert Villaflor; Reymart Duro; and Eddie Delfin Jr., 28. They were residents of Zarraga, too.

Nadsadjan Falls is one of the most visited tourist attractions of Igbaras.

According to Igbaras tourism officer Engr. Wilfredo Delgado, the group also did not notify the barangay official of Passi about their trek

“Siguro nag roadtrip na sila from their place to Leon, to Tubungan and then to Igbaras…Ang ila man lang na tani malagaw-lagaw pero amo to natabo. Naabotan sila sang bulos,” said Delgado,

He reminded trekkers of the town ordinance requiring visitors to first register at the tourism office and secure a permit.

The permit cost P25.

Eleven years ago, on Oct. 2, 2006, 23 people died in a somewhat similar incident in Barangay Barasan, Igbaras.

An overloaded passenger jeepney crossing a 60-foot overflow bridge in Sitio Songsongon was swept away by the sudden strong water current of the Tangyan River. It rolled several times and fell to a drop of more than six feet.

Twenty-five persons survived but the bodies of 22 other passengers of the jeepney have not been recovered.

The overflow concrete bridge, constructed in 1989, did not have side railings and had culverts underneath.

Water would usually overflow during heavy and continuous rain or when the culverts are clogged by debris.

The overflow connected 12 hinterland barangays of Igbaras to the town proper./PN
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