By Connie Calipay
LEGAZPI CITY – The body of a teenage boy who was declared missing for nearly three days was found at Cabilogan River in Barangay Busac, Oas, Albay on Tuesday.
In an interview, Oas Mayor John Kenneth Trinidad confirmed that the body was that of the 16-year-old boy who went swimming on Aug. 31 at an irrigation area when the strong current swept him away along with his 18-year-old brother, whose body was recovered on the same day.
“Today, we recovered the body of the deceased’s brother. This follows our search and retrieval operation with the assistance of the scuba divers from the Philippine Coast Guard, personnel from the Albay Public Safety and Management Office, the Bureau of Fire and Protection, the Philippine National Police, and our emergency response team. We didn’t stop searching after the incident last Aug. 31,” he said.
“The recommendation was to bring the body to the morgue and to be buried immediately.”
The mayor said the local government, through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office and the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, will provide assistance to the victims’ family.
Trinidad added that they would strengthen the barangays’ disaster response capabilities as immediate responders who would monitor weather conditions in their areas.
“The good working relationship with other government agencies provides a better and immediate response during calamities and emergencies. We have an emergency response team here in our LGU that has been activated since the incident happened,” he added.
In a separate interview, PCG-5 commander, Commodore Ivan Roldan said two teams had been deployed to assist in the recovery of the two teenagers.
“We deployed two teams on site, equipped with rubber boats and divers, to ensure a thorough search of the area, and it has now been confirmed that the victim was recovered,” he said.
Roldan added that it is necessary to train local government personnel and officials on water search and rescue. (PNA)
