Fisherman caught in strong current, huge waves, drowns

A fisherman with his son was picking shells in Daanbantayan town, northern Cebu Thursday dawn. It was low tide so they anchored their boat where the sea could keep it floating.

As they pushed their boat out to sea to transfer to another site, they were suddenly caught by strong current and huge waves.

The father, Jessie Estemar, 51, and his son Wivelle, 32, were separated and carried by the current.

Wivelle was lucky to have found a rock that he could hold on to, but his father was swept by the current and was lost at sea.

“Sa ilahang pagpadulong molabang sa pikas tampi, naabtan sila sa kusog kaayo nga sulog. Dunay portion didto nga lawom nga kusog kaayo ang current mao to ilang labangon (When they were about to cross to the other side, they were caught by a strong current. There is a portion there that is deep and the current is strong),” said Lani Dublin, Daanbantayan Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (LDRRMO) team leader.

He said that area is really treacherous because of the strong current and strong waves.

Wivelle was saved by local fishermen and went with them to search for his father.

It was past 7 a.m. when Jessie’s lifeless body was found.

Dublin explained that the strong current and strong waves are normal things in the area where the incident happened.

“Day to day gyud na diha nga kusog ang balod ug sulog. Naa man sa pikas side ang habagat. Although low tide to pagkahitaboa, pero iyahang geographical terrain lawm gyud na diha ug kusog ang sulog,” Dublin said.

He said the weather was fine that Thursday, with no strong winds or rain.

Meanwhile, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Baltazar Tribunalo Jr. said that except for the fisherman who drowned in Daanbantayan, there were no reported incidents or damage resulting from the effects of the intensified habagat yesterday.

The possibility of heavy rains and strong winds remains because of the intensified southwest monsoon, he said.

“God forbid, pero posible dunay mga landslide o di kaha pagbaha. Di lang ta mokompiyansa. Although dili ta directly affected pero andam gyud ta,” Tribunalo said.
(The possibility of landslides or flooding is there. We should not be complacent. Although we will not be directly affected by typhoon Lawin, we should still prepare.)