Barili, Cebu (Google Map)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 20-year-old criminology student died after drowning while swimming in a beach in Barangay Sayaw, Barili town, southwestern Cebu.
Police Master Sergeant Gilbert Alegado, investigator of the Barili Municipal Police Station, confirmed that John Rey Sato, a resident of Barangay Valladolid, in Carcar City southern Cebu, died while swimming with his friends in a private beach past 5 p.m. on Monday, February 27, 2023.
Alegado said the victim, who was a student of the Professional Academy of the Philippines in the City of Naga in Cebu based on his Facebook account, may have drowned since the sea condition off the coast of Barili on Monday afternoon was rough.
“Upat ni sila nagkuyug nga naligo sa beach. Gahapon, bati man gud ang panahon diri sa Barili unya gahapon pod taob siya, unya kusog ang bul ong sa current. Samtang naligo sila, ang bawod nga kusug kaayo nihapak nila,” Alegado said.
(There were four of them swimming in the beach. Yesterday, the weather here in Barili was bad and the tide was high with strong current. While they were swimming, strong waves hit them.)
Alegado added that the victim and his friends were not that far from the shore when the drowning happened. When they noticed trouble, Sato’s friends and other concerned individuals tried to rescue him but failed. After 25 minutes of being missing, Alegado said that Sato was found unconscious near the shore.
Alegado said Sato was washed out to the deeper portion of the beach due to the strong current and huge waves and then struggled to recover.
The victim was still brought to a hospital but he was declared dead on arrival.
According to Alegado, police couldn’t find any signs of foul play in the death of Sato.
“Asta iyang kuyug, barkada, they all confirmed nga the incident, nalumos gyud siya. Disgrasya ra gyud,” he said.
(His companions, his friends, they all confirmed that the incident was an accident.)
Meanwhile, Alegado said that, as per his knowledge, there was no life guard on duty at that time of the drowning in the Barili beach.
/bmjo
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