QUIET BEACH Boracay is most striking at this time of the year — JACK JARILLA / FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The body of the Ati chieftain, who went missing three days ago, was recovered in the waters of Boracay Island on Saturday, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.
According to DILG Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr., the body of the chieftain of Malaynon ATI Tribe Association Ernesto Coching — whose fishing boat collided with a hotel speed boat in Boracay three days ago — was retrieved off the waters of Malay, Aklan near Sitio Airport in Barangay Caticlan.
Coching’s body was found three hours after the search and retrieval dive operations conducted by 35 local and foreign divers from the local government of Aklan, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and all Boracay dive shops.
Abalos, who also joined the operation, said that they dived 15 to 25 meters deep and covered the search area with a radius of half a kilometer to search for the chieftain’s body.
“Tayo po ay lubos na nakikiramay sa pamilya Coching,” said Abalos after Coching’s remains were recovered.
(My deepest condolences to the Coching family.)
He also thanked volunteer divers for helping with the search and retrieval operation.
Meanwhile, the DILG said that Coching’s companion, Ricky Valencia, was already discharged from the hospital.