Two Dead, One Survives in Drowning Incident at Ipil Coastal Waters

Daphne Santuyo

Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay – Two individuals lost their lives while another survived in a drowning incident at the coastal waters of Sitio Katipunan, Barangay Magdaup, Ipil, on Saturday afternoon, prompting a multi-agency search and rescue operation.

According to Raymond Hinggo, head of the Ipil Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO), their office received an emergency call at around 12:22 p.m. reporting that three individuals had been involved in a drowning incident.

Rescue teams from the Ipil LDRRMO immediately responded to the area. Upon arrival, responders found that local residents had already pulled two of the victims from the water. One victim was already showing no signs of life, while the other remained missing, prompting authorities to immediately launch a search and retrieval operation.

While search teams scoured the area for the missing individual, emergency responders simultaneously administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the victim who had been recovered unconscious. The missing victim was later located, but despite exhaustive rescue and resuscitation efforts, both victims were declared dead.

The fatalities were identified as Wilmer Villavito Templado, 45, a resident of Kitabog, Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Wilbert Espacio Templado, 18, a resident of Purok Gumamela, Kitabog, Titay.

The lone survivor was identified as Eric Espacio Villavito, 40, also a resident of Purok Gumamela, Kitabog, Titay.

The search, retrieval, and emergency response were jointly carried out by the Ipil LDRRMO, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Ipil, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Ipil Municipal Police Station.

After the operation, the bodies of the two fatalities were turned over to the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) for documentation and further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the drowning incident. However, Hinggo urged the public to exercise extreme caution when swimming, fishing, or engaging in other activities in coastal waters, particularly in unfamiliar areas where sudden changes in water depth, strong currents, and other hazards may pose serious risks.