Mandaue drowning: Kin of boy, who died, to sue fish pen owner

Live wire from fish pen stunned boy, who fell to the wetland water in Banilad, and drowned

A group of young boys were fishing at a fishpond in Brgy. Banilad, Mandaue City when one of their companions got electrocuted by a live wire and fell into the water and drowned. | Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The relatives of the 13-year-old boy, who drowned in a small body of water in Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City, are firm on their decision to file a case against a fish pen owner, whom they blamed for the death of their boy.

The victim identified as Jessray Eltagonde, a Grade 8 student, drowned after he accidentally touched a live wire attached to a net of a fish pen as he tried to reach a piece of wood floating on the water.

The boy got electrocuted, fell to the water and later died.

The victim at that time was fishing with two of his friends in that small body of water considered part of  a wetland area in Mandaue City.

The death of the boy happened last Sunday, October 20.

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Police investigation showed that the boy and two of his friends were fishing together there on Sunday afternoon. 

The small body of water was surrounded by nets that served as the dividers where fishpens were set up.

Eltagonde saw a piece of wood floating on the water and he tried to reach for it. However, he also unknowingly touched a live wire on a net covering one of the fish pens.

No warning sign placed

The father of the child during an interview in a radio station dyHP,  said that there were no signs placed about an electric wire put  there to deter thieves.

There were no signs to inform others about the danger of being electrocuted, the father said.

This led to the boy accidentally touching the live wire that led to his death of drowning.

His friends, who saw him fall to the water,  hurriedly took him out of the water and they moved to an area away from the fishpen and the water.

Despite the efforts of his companions to save him, the boy died before he was able to receive treatment at the nearest hospital.

His mourning parents are firm with their decision to file a complaint against the owner of the fish pen for putting a live wire in the area which caused their son’s untimely demise.

As of this writing, police have called the owner of the fish pen to the police station to gather more information about the incident. 

Meanwhile, the boy’s wake is being held at a chapel near their house.

Banilad wetland

In October 2023, a city official described the small body of water there in Barangay Banilad as a wetland area that served as a catchbasin of water there.

This was when the city government planned to desilt the area as a way to help ease the flooding in that spot in Banilad.

He said that the Banilad wetland with an area of 146,270 square meters, functioned as a catch basin, that would hold rain and run-off water coming from Mandaue City’s neighbors such as Cebu City.

However, the city official said that they found it difficult to desilt the area because there were many fish pens set up there.