The remains of two students who disappeared while swimming in the sea off Minglanilla town last Tuesday were recovered by search teams the following day.
Minglanilla Local Disaster Officer Myrrha Daven said the bodies of 11-year-old Siegfred Sagadsad and nine-year-old Zian Catarina were found on the coastal areas of Barangays Tungkil and Calajo-an, respectively.
“Kahibaw naman na ang uban natong mananagat nga adto punta kay ang current man adto didto (Our fishermen knew that the bodies will head there because that’s where the current is headed),” Daven said.
She said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Cebu station and the town’s Bantay Dagat, discovered the remains along with quick response teams from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the neighboring cities of Naga and Talisay.
The remains were then brought to the Minglanilla Health Center and later to the funeral homes.
The two schoolchildren were among the four Grade 2 students of Barangay Calajo-an Elementary School who supposedly cut class last Tuesday and went off to swim at the nearby public beach.
Daven said they will talk to school officials on how the children managed to swim during class hours.
She said the families of the victims will be provided with burial assistance.
The PDRRMO urged parents to monitor their children in school following the incident.
PDRRMO Information Officer Julius Regner said parents should remind their children to go home directly after class.
He said the parents need to remind their children not to swim in rivers especially since it is the rainy season.
Regner said the Deparment of Education (DepEd) should require their teachers to undergo disaster preparedness orientation and training in order to prevent incidents of drowning among their students.
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