| CCPO Director Engelbert Soriano | File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The director of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) said that they would recommend the temporary closure of the Tinubdan Falls in Barangay Tabili in Catmon town following the tragedy which left two dead and one still missing.
Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, CPPO chief, said that he was still waiting for the assessment from the town’s chief of police there before they would recommend the temporary closure of the particular falls to the local government unit in Catmon town and the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office.
On Sunday afternoon, September 26, a supposedly family reunion turns tragic after floodwaters from the highland swept at least three individuals who were enjoying the cool water of the Tinubdan falls.
Other relatives, who were able to escape the onrushing water of the flashflood, tried to rescue those who were swept by the floodwaters, but they failed to do so.
Around 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, the 17-year-old boy identified as Kent Jude Monterolla was found near the spillway of Katambisan in Barangay Corazon of Catmon town, an adjacent barangay of Tabili where the Tinubdan Falls is situated.
Around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, September 27, the body of the seven-year-old girl Princess Alastra, was recovered along the river in Sitio Kulo, Barangay Duyan also in Catmon town.
READ: Catmon tragedy: Body of girl swept away by flashflood found, her mom still missing
As of now, the CPPO chief said that they would be deploying police personnel in the area pending the ongoing retrieval operation of the missing body of the 32-year-old mother, who was swept away by the floodwaters together with her 7-year-old daughter and her 17-year-old nephew.
Soriano said that these personnel would also help in securing safety in the area as the investigation continues.
The CPPO chief, however, said he had no exact number of the personnel to be deployed in the area yet pending his coordination with the station commander of Catmon Municipal Police Station.
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