Boholana missing in CDO whitewater rafting accident

A boholana goes missing in Cagayan De Oro

The prime tourist attraction of Cagayan de Oro – whitewater rafting – may have been dealt a big blow when a local guest fell into the rapids and had gone missing last Friday.

Azzi Calipusan Balbin, 26, of Loboc, Bohol went missing in the rapids called bonsai when the rubber boat they were riding flipped over throwing her and four others into the wildly rampaging waters of the Cagayan de Oro River.

The bonsai rapid is the second to the last rapid in the beginners’ section of the Cagayan de Oro whitewater rafting course.

Thousands of tourists go to Cagayan de Oro to experience this extreme outdoor adventure. Balbin’s group came from Cebu.

Gerome Garcia of the De Oro Mountain Explorers (Dome) and one of the pioneers of the extreme outdoor adventure told Cebu Daily News that the incident underscores the need to improve safety protocols in the whitewater tours.

“To start with, whitewater rafting is an extreme outdoor activity. The risks are naturally high, so safety protocols should be very strict,” said Garcia. Those who go on whitewater rafting are given safety briefings before they board the rubber boats. They are required to wear helmets and life jackets.

He said because of competition, some operators bring down their prices to attract more tourists.
He suggested that there should be two experienced river guides/rescuers per rubber boat and a third one on kayak.

In Friday’s incident there was only one river guide in the rubber boat. Guides from other tour operators, rushed to help in the rescue.

Standard rates range from P700 to P1,200 per person for the three to four hour ride along the rampaging Cagayan de Oro River. However, some operators lower their prices to as low as P400 per person.

Bonsai, according to Garcia, is a treacherous rapid, and because of the rains, the rapids last Friday was at Class 4.

The American Whitewater Association describes Class 4 rapids as, “Intense, powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in the turbulent water.

Depending on the character of the river, it may feature large, unavoidable waves and holes or constricted passages demanding fast maneuvers under pressure.”

Search and rescue efforts were spearheaded by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

City Information Officer Maricel Rivera said Mayor Oscar Moreno has created a special committee to investigate the incident headed by City Administrator Hilario Roy Raagas.

Moreno said the city is committing all resources and efforts to find the missing “guest”.

Whitewater tours were suspended yesterday as river guides from the six whitewater tour operators joined in the search and rescue operations.