TWO Negrenses drowned during the San Juan festivity over the weekend, police reports showed.
In Negros Occidental, Ramyl Carvajal of Pontevedra town drowned at a beach resort in Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City.
Investigation showed that Carvajal and his co-workers were having a drinking session then he invited one of them to go swimming around 11 a.m.
After several minutes, Carvajal was seen by his friends floating at sea, prompting them to call for assistance. He was declared dead at a hospital.
In Negros Oriental, an elderly man drowned at sea in Barangay Matu-og, Tayasan town around 3:30 p.m.
The fatality was identified as Billy Calumba, 61, of the said barangay.
Police said Calumba was drunk when he was riding a pump boat.
He jumped 30 meters away from the shoreline and drowned.
In E.B. Magalona town, five persons on board a pump boat were intercepted by the town’s Bantay Dagat after they were seen crossing across the other pump boats, including the rescue team’s boat at Barangay Pasil.
Police Officer 2 John Lamis of E.B. Magalona Municipal Police Station said they were residents of Barangay Batya, who were reportedly drunk while riding a pump boat.
The rescue team escorted them back to the shore.
‘All is well,’ ‘peaceful’
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Senior Grade Jimmy Vingno, chief of Philippine Coast Guard-Bacolod, said on Sunday, June 25, that “all is well” during the celebration of San Juan feast over the weekend.
Based on monitoring, people celebrated the festivity smoothly, Vingno said, despite the two drowning incidents.
“Beach goers and excursionists coordinated with the rescue team in case of emergency situations,” he added.
Vingno said the Coast Guard is continuously conducting seaborne patrol in coastal areas even after the festivity.
In Bacolod, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that the observance of the feast of St. John the Baptist was “generally peaceful.”
Executive Assistant Jose Maria Vargas, cluster head for CDRRMO, said Sunday that no drowning incident was reported, but there was an excursionist who fainted at Villarosa Resort in Barangay Punta Taytay because of drunkenness.
He said commotions were also reported in various locations.
The CDRRMO deployed about 200 rescuers in various beach resorts and shorelines in Barangay Banago and Barangay Punta Taytay.
Vargas said they are thankful for the cooperation of the private rescue groups like Amity, Chamber, Philippine Red Cross, Kabalikat, and Negros Rescue Unit.
He said the rescuers were deployed in areas with no lifeguards especially in the shorelines of Barangays Singcang-Airport, Pahanocoy, Banago, 16, and 35, and Bredco Port.
Vargas added that barangay officials also assigned watchmen for excursionists within their areas of jurisdiction.