2 missing students found dead

Two students who went missing while swimming in the seawaters off Minglanilla, a southern Cebu town, were found dead yesterday.

The victims were Siegfred Sagadsad and Jian Rey Catarina, both 9 years old and Grade 2 students of an elementary school in Barangay Calajoan.

The body of Sagadsad was found floating in the waters of Barangay Tungkil, the neighboring barangay of Calajoan, where the boys had gone swimming with two other friends, at 10:50 a.m.

Catarina’s body, on the other hand, was drifted 200 meters away from where he and Sagadsad were last seen swimming, according to Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (LDRRMO) Myrrha Daven.

The remains of Catarina were recovered past 12 noon yesterday.

The two boys were reported missing Tuesday, while their two other friends were rescued.

Emergency responders from Talisay City and Minglanilla town conducted a rescue and retrieval operation, but it was derailed by rough seas.

Marites Macapobres, the school principal, said it was not the first time that a student drowned while swimming there.

The school is just a stone’s throw away from the beach.

The victims, Macapobres said, did not skip classes and only went swimming during lunch break.

According to police, the victims were warned by the locals not to take a swim due to strong current and big waves.

But the warnings fell on deaf ears.

"Wala ma'y gabantay sa mga bata kay lunch break to sila nanggawas sa skuwelahan,” said Police Officer 3 Nikki Carlo Plarisan of Minglanilla Police.

To prevent similar circumstances from happening again, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Spokesperson Jules Regner urged parents to look after their children.

“Always remind your children to go home after class and to avoid wandering around,” he said. —

Lorraine Mitzi A. Ambrad and USJ-R Intern Irene Gardose/KBQ