Field trips stopped after tragedy in Bulacan river

CITY OF MALOLOS—Bulacan State University (Bulsu) on Wednesday suspended all student field trips scheduled in the next months, following the Aug. 19 drowning of seven students who were part of a group that went to  Madlum Cave in San Miguel town for a school activity.

Mariano de Jesus, Bulsu president, did not say how long the suspension would last, after he met with university officials in a closed-door meeting.

On Thursday morning, soldiers and rescue teams from the provincial government retrieved the last drowning victim, Maiko Eleva Bartolome, 26, a relative of provincial treasurer Belinda Bartolome.

On Wednesday, rescue teams recovered the bodies of Mary Magdaline Navarro, 17, and Jeannette Rivera, 16.

The bodies of Helena Marie Marcelo, Mikhail Alcantara, Sean Rodney Alejo and Michelle Anne Rose Bonzo were recovered on Tuesday afternoon, immediately after the students were swept away by a strong river current in Barangay Sibul.

Thea Hernandez, who was with the group, survived but had to be taken to Emmanuel Vera Hospital in San Miguel.

Probe

Dr. Protacio Bajao, director at      Bulacan Medical Center, said two other students with the group suffered minor injuries.

De Jesus, in a statement on Thursday, said  Bulsu had formed a committee to investigate the accident. “In response to this event, a crisis committee was created to conduct … [an] impartial investigation [of] the circumstances of the tragedy and will take decisive and appropriate measures on the basis of the findings,” he said.

He urged people to grant the Bulsu community time and space to “mourn the irreplaceable loss of its sons and daughters.”

The victims were freshmen tourism students at the College of Home Economics. They were accompanied by five tourist guides and three faculty members.

Sibul village chief Laureano Ligon said the students arrived when the river was clear and shallow.

They were caught by surprise when the river became swollen due to a heavy downpour, Ligon said.

Provincial Board Member Michael Fermin, who authored an ordinance that regulates school field trips in the province, said there might have been lapses committed by the people who organized the trip.

Florentino Pineda Jr., who heads the university’s Department of Mass Communication and Performing Arts, said exposure trips were relevant school activities, but teachers would heed the suspension imposed by De Jesus.

Pineda said orientation programs for parents, which are held at the start of each school year, examined the importance of outdoor activities for their children, as well as safety measures and precautions taken by the university. Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon