Student tries to save friends, drowns

A 16-YEAR-OLD high school student died while trying to save his classmates from drowning in the waters off Naga City yesterday morning.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) found the body of Marjun Canque floating in the waters off Sitio Sawmill, Barangay Langtad, Naga City at 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

Canque was with classmates Anabelle Dejito, 14, and Pannycar Lastimosa, 14, at the time of the incident.

Dejito and Lastimosa would have also drowned had they not been rescued by a passerby, Danilo Librero. Librero failed to save Canque, who reportedly disappeared in the water.

PO2 Ronjie Nadora, desk officer of the Naga City Police Station, said Canque and the two girls went swimming at 10:30 a.m.

Exams

The three are second year students of the Langtad National High School. They had just finished taking their periodical exams when they decided to go for a swim.

Can’t swim

Canque jumped from a dike, followed by Dejito and Lastimosa. But Lastimosa started struggling in the water because she didn’t know how to swim.

Dejito tried to help Lastimosa. But Lastimosa only dragged Dejito deep into the water.
Canque, who saw what had happened, swam toward his two classmates to save them. But he drowned just as he was about to grab one of the girls. He disappeared in the water after that.

Librero, 27, who was living in the area, heard Dejito and Lastimosa’s call for help and ran to the rescue.

Librero brought the victims to a nearby hospital.

Librero called the police to report the incident and Canque’s disappearance. The search lasted four hours.

Nadora believed Canque could have experienced foot cramps that caused him to drown.