A five-year-old boy drowned as he was carried by strong current in a river during last Friday’s downpour in Barangay Camp Ocho, Toledo City.
The body of John Ray Swerte was found in Barangay Canban-ug, around 25 kilometers away from his home at around 9 p.m. the same day.
The boy lived with his family near the riverbank and could have slipped and fallen into the river at about 4 p.m. during the downpour, said PO3 Carlos Barluado of the Toledo City Police Station.
According to Barluado, the boy’s mother Merlina was feeding their hogs, a short distance from their house.
Barangay search and rescue members immediately conducted a rescue operation but stopped when it turned dark because the water was murky.
Armando Tinapay, a resident of Barangay Canban-ug who was at the river when the rain stopped, saw the boy’s floating body and immediately carried it to the riverbank.
Meanwhile, a seafaring vessel had to anchor at sea away from the port of Sta. Fe on Bantayan Island because of the heavy rains and strong winds over the weekend, which made it difficult for them to dock.
At least 162 passengers were rescued in the middle of the sea after the vessel they rode had difficulty docking and instead weighed anchor away from port.
Rhee Telen II, local disaster officer II of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), said that due to the strong waves, the Super Shuttle Ferry 26 coming from Hagnaya Port could not dock at the Sta. Fe port and instead anchored in the middle of the sea.
The passengers then were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Managemement Office (LDRRMO).
Another passenger vessel, Lite Shipping, also had a difficulty sailing because of the strong winds and waves.
Last Friday night, the LDRRMO of Bantayan Island rescued four people after their pump boat’s engine suddenly conked out in the middle of the sea.
The pump boat came from Barangay Okoy and was bound for Hilantagaan where the passengers were going to attend a fiesta celebration.