8-year-old girl drowns in Toledo City resort

CEBU CITY, Philippines — An 8-year-old girl who was entrusted to her neighbors died after drowning in a swimming pool of a resort in Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City past 11 a.m. on Monday, April 5, 2021.

According to Police Staff Sergeant Alfredo De Gracia Jr., the investigator of the case, the father of the victim told them that the minor was with her neighbors from Barangay Das when the incident happened.

“Nananghid ang biktima sa iyang papa nga mukuyog sa swimming pool sa iyang silingan nga naay mga bata ug adult. Wa rapod mukuyog ang amahan kay naay currently work sa ilaha ug ang inahan pod adunay gamay nga bata sa ilaha.  Nisalig ra gyud sila sa ilang silingan nga kuyog ang bata,” De Gracia said.

(The victim asked permission from her father to go to the swimming pool with her neighbors composed of kids and adults. The father did not accompany her child as he had work, at that time, and the mother had a baby to take care of at home. They just put their trust on their neighbors.)

Investigation showed that the adults in the group that was with the child were too preoccupied with the preparation of lunch, unknowingly leaving the minor unattended.

A few minutes after, the adults in the group noticed that the minor was missing. At first, they only thought that she was with others kids. It was not until a couple more minutes after that her body was seen floating in the pool intended for adults.

The group immediately rescued the minor and tried to revive her but failed.

De Gracia added that as per their initial information gathered, the resort had no lifeguard on duty at that time of the accident.

The group sought help from rescuers in Barangay Lutopan and the victim was immediately brought to the Carmen Copper General Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

De Gracia said that the father told him that the resort has promised to take care of the expenses of his child’s death. He also said that for now, they are currently in the middle of an investigation to determine if the adults have liabilities in the said incident. He, however, clarified that the child was permitted by his father to join the group.

Police, meanwhile, said that they will also be checking on the resort to find out if they had lapses, too.

But he said the father of the child had no plans of filing a case against the resort nor other people who were with the minor for as long expenses for her burial will be shouldered by them.

/bmjo