Bancas for hire line the bank of the Almacen River. Photo by Ernie Esconde
HERMOSA, Bataan – The parents of four drowning victims on Wednesday were in grief and still could not understand what happened to their children who had big plans for their future.
The four children, two of them twin girls, died of drowning while bathing at the river in Barangay Almacen here Tuesday afternoon.
Hermosa police chief Major Jeffrey Onde identified the victims as twins AC and AJ Magtanong, both 11, and kin Reynalyn Magtanong, 13, and Gabriel Santos, 11 —all from Barangay A. Rivera.
Renz Magtanong, also a minor, was rescued.
Onde said the victims were initially at the shallow portion of the Almacen River but apparently might have moved to the deep portion and drowned.
Maria Clarice Sibayan, Gabriel’s’ mother, said her son who was in Grade 5 did not ask her permission to go to the river and she only learned of his death in the afternoon.
Rosalie Magtanong, mother of the twins, said her children “escaped” from their house because she wanted them to sleep.
Rosalie said her twins who were in Grade 6 and who dreamt of becoming a police officer and flight stewardess did not know how to swim. The twins would have been 12 on March 26.
Victims Reynalyn and Gabriel and survivor Renz were grandniece and grandnephews of the mother of the twins. Reynalyn’s remains were brought to Guagua, Pampanga.
Operators of bancas for hire in Almacen played a major role in the search and rescue operations together with the Hermosa municipal disaster risk reduction and management office and residents in the area.
Roberto Bartolome, one of the banca operators, said they heard shouts of someone drowning in the river.
“May sumisigaw na may batang nalulunod. Isang batang lalaki ang lulubog-lilitaw sa tubig at nang masagip at maitabi ito ay mayroon pa pala sa ilalim na dalawang bata,” he said.
Bartolome said they found it hard at first to locate the bodies of the drowning victims but the survivor led them to where his companions were. He said they were able to retrieve four bodies that rescue teams rushed to a nearby hospital.
An attending physician at the Orani District Hospital declared the victims dead on arrival.
“Malalim sa parteng malayo ng ilog pero sa bungad sa tapat ng mga bangka ay mababaw lang kaya nagtataka kami kung bakit nalunod ang dalawang batang kambal. Ang dalawa pang bata na medyo malalaki na ay talagang nasa malalim,” Bartolome said.
