Boy drowns while gathering seashells in Iligan City

ILIGAN CITY — Rescuers from the Philippine Coast Guard and its auxiliaries continued their search on Saturday for a 10-year-old boy who went missing on Friday afternoon (June 25) while gathering seashells on the coasts of Buru-un village here.

The boy, identified as Rolando, was with his brother Junrey, 6, whose remains were found by a fisherman floating near the shoreline of nearby Linamon town in Lanao del Norte around 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

According to Fernando Canillio, the boys’ father, both were reported missing around 4 p.m. on Friday when they were not able to return home from the seashore.

They set out to collect shells around 3 p.m. with their mother and three other companions. The two boys supposedly went home ahead.

The reason for Rolando’s disappearance and for Junrey’s drowning are not yet known as of posting time.

Meanwhile, coast guard stations in Northern Mindanao were alerted about a fisherman from Lopez Jaena town in Misamis Occidental who was reported missing on June 21.

Capt. Dexter Torres, coast guard officer-in-charge in Northern Mindanao, said Edwin Randy Vale, 42, went fishing aboard a motorized banca around 7 p.m. on June 21 and has not since returned. His vessel was found damaged on Saturday (June 26) between the island provinces of Siquijor and Camiguin.

According to Torres, no one was aboard the damaged vessel when it was found.

/MUF