By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – A supposed bonding with relatives turned tragic when a woman and her two nieces died from drowning in Bago River at Purok Paho, Barangay Napoles, Bago City, Negros Occidental last Tuesday.
Police identified one of the victims as Riza Macatigos, 31, of the said village, while the name of the two minors aged 11 and 16 were withheld.
Police Master Sergeant Mars Anthony Luto, case investigator of Bago City Police Station, said the two children just tagged along with their aunt when the latter went to Janiuay, Iloilo.
Luto said that Macatigos reportedly invited the children to attend her husband’s birthday in the said city.
“First time diri ka mga bata,” he added.
Luto said the three victims along with Macatigos’s 13-year-old daughter went swimming in the river that day.
But while the children were playing in the water, they fell into the deep part of the river.
“Natiklod daw sang isa iya pakaisa kay daw ga hampang-hampang man lang sila pero nadagdag sila sa daw may buho nga kantilado na part,” Luto said.
Upon seeing the children’s situation, Luto said that Macatigos tried to save them, but she failed as she didn’t know how to swim.
Fortunately, Macatigos’s daughter was able to survive as she knows how to swim, but she failed to rescue her mother and cousins.
“Gintinguha-an niya man tani salbaron galing bug-at bala, amo to nag takas siya kag nangayo bulig,” Luto said.
The three victims were declared dead on arrival at a hospital, Luto said.
