Boy drowns in Tondo creek at height of downpour

MANILA, Philippines—A seven-year-old boy drowned in a flashflood that swept down the Estero de Antipolo in Tondo, Manila, at the height of the downpour that flooded many parts of Metro Manila Thursday afternoon.

Police said Philippine Coast Guard personnel found the body of Jonard Pinoquio at 3:35 a.m. Friday, 12 hours after he was last seen alive, flailing against the current as it swept him downstream the creek, which runs along Antipolo Street.

Police said Pinoquio and two friends went for a swim in the estero as the rain raised its water level, but unlike his companions who managed to get back on the creek’s concrete embankment, he was swept away when the flashflood struck.

Senior Police Officer 3 Glenzor Vallejo of the Manila Police District’s homicide division said boy’s body was positively identified by his mother, Annabelle, a scavenger in the area.

He said the boy had managed to cry for help before the currents pulled him into the deep section of the estero that was filled with mud and sewage.

The PCG said in a report that its men tried to search for the victim right after he was swept away but could not do much because of the pouring rain and strong currents.

The boy’s body was found in a pile of floating garbage.

Vallejo said the boy’s body bore no signs of  injuries.  With Jacqueline Arias, PDI trainee

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