Responders from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office worked to free a 15-year-old boy after his arm got stuck in a canal cover made of steel.

According to his companion, the boy was reportedly looking for coins when his arm got stuck as he was trying to reach further into the murky water.

The incident took place along Plaridel Street in Barangay Santo Niño early morning on Thursday, June 5, 2025.

The rescue took about five hours for members of the BFP Special Rescue Squad led by FO3 Eric James Formentera, assistant in charge of the Special Rescue Operations, with personnel of the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to complete. 

The boy’s companion said that there were three of them who stirred the canal with their hands (or to “kawkaw” in the vernacular) in search for coins that could have possibly dropped into the canal.

It was observed that the boy's arm was already swollen when the rescuers completed the task at about 10 a.m.

The boy was taken to the hospital thereafter. He is already out of danger.

The companion of the boy further said that as “Kawkaw Boys,” they get to collect at least P50 from coins that fall into ditches. 

The "Kawkaw Boys" are among informal settlers in the city, or sleep at sidewalks.