4 kids drown in North Cotabato in 2 days

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Four children, two of them five and six years old, were fished out of the water in two separate drowning incidents in two North Cotabato towns in the last three days.

Police Lt. Colonel Bernard Tayong, speaking for the police in North Cotabato, said the victims were fished out of the Dagupan irrigation dam in Barangay Dagupan, Kabacan town at past 4 p.m., Tuesday.

Police Col. Maximo Layugan, North Cotabato police director, said reports reaching his office said the three children were last seen trying to beat the heat by swimming in a river in Sitio Kinudal, Barangay Kilada, Matalam.

The third child, a four-year-old, survived but could not tell the story about his siblings. Authorities withheld their identities because they are still minors.

The Kabacan disaster risk reduction and management council reported that residents of Dagupan found the two minors floating lifeless in the irrigation dam.

It was the second drowning incident in North Cotabato the past three days.

On Monday, cousins Loida and Jerald Calibayan, both Grade 10 students of Barangay Pentil, Aleosan town, were found to have drowned in a river.

The cousins were heading home from their “moving up” ceremonies at the Pentil National High School when they decided to take a dip and swim in the Pentil river.

Neighbors found and fished them out of the river about 5 p.m. Monday./lzb