A minor girl and a fisherman drowned in separate incidents in Ilocos.

Jamilla de Guzman, 13, drowned in a river in Barangay Poblacion, Calasiao, Pangasinan.

Rescuers conducted a two-hour search operation at a part of the river connected to the Marusay River. 

Residents said the spot where Jamilla was found is about 10 feet deep.

"Diyan mababa, siguro pumunta [yung bata] sa malalim kaya ganun ang nangyari," Edgar de Vera, a rescuer, said.

Family members said that Jamilla’s older brother had invited her to swim in the river. She then ended up in the deep section. Her brother, scared, ran and hid instead of helping immediately.

"Noong nalunod na raw, hindi man lang nagsaklolo ‘yung kuya. Doon pa siya sa banda doon nagyaya ng saklolo. Sabi niya sa dulo nalunod si Jamilla... yung kuya niya [mismo ay] nagtago," Brigida de Guzman, Jamilla's aunt, said.

Jamilla was a Grade Six student and was supposed to graduate on May 30, 2024.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) has issued warnings to residents as more people swim in the river.

In Sinait, Ilocos Sur, a 56-year-old fisherman drowned in the sea of Barangay Dadalaquiten Norte.

Based on police investigation, the man used a raft and dived into the water but did not surface. Witnesses called for help when they noticed he did not come back up.

"Sumisid siya [pero] hindi na siya nakaahon pa, kaya noong medyo tumagal na, hindi na nakaahon ang victim, ‘yung dalawa niyang kasama na bata [ay] umahon [at] tumakbo pumunta sa mga tao at nagpatulong," Bryan Romeo Lopez, the Officer-in-Charge of Sinait Police Station, said.

Police said the fisherman had been drinking before the incident.