The body of a policeman who fell off a sea vessel in Nueva Valencia town, Province of Guimaras was recovered on October 18, 2024.

The body of Police Staff Sergeant Mechael Gatinao was found in the waters of Sitio Nauai, Barangay Sabang, Sibunag town, Guimaras at 11:30 a.m.

The information was relayed to GMA Super Radyo Iloilo by Police Lt. Col. Cecilia Hulleza, chief of the Personnel and Human Resource Management Unit of the Guimaras Police Provincial Office. 

The policeman went missing after he accidentally fell off a boat while on seaborne patrol in Barangay Guiuanon, Nueva Valencia at 8:30 p.m. on October 16, 2024.

It was learned that the team went after a group involved in illegal fishing. 

Gatinao, 42 years old, married, a resident of Sitio Serum, Barangay San Nicolas, Buenavista town in Guimaras was assigned at the Nueva Valencia Municipal Police Station. He spent 16 years in the police service.

(via R. Tenorio, D. Estante/GMA Super Radyo Iloilo)