A family in San Jacinto, Pangasinan is mourning the death of a six-year-old boy who drowned while swimming with his siblings and cousins in a river over the weekend.

The victim, Romeo de Guzman, Jr. of Barangay Sto. Tomas, went to the Angalacan River with his older brother and two cousins afternoon on Saturday, September 13, 2025, to bathe and gather shellfish. But the children were unfamiliar with the river’s depth, and Romeo Jr. was swept away by the current.

“Hindi ko matanggap na ganun yung anak ko. Three to four hours nasa tubig yung anak ko. Gustong-gusto sigurong humingi ng tulong pero wala kaming nagawa ng asawa ko,” Geraldine de Guzman, the victim's mother, said.

The child’s older brother also recalled trying but failing to save him.

“Nililigtas ko po siya, di ko na po siya naligtas… Yung kamay, naghawakan na kami tapos di ko na siya nahawakan, tapos nalunod na nandoon na siya sa ilalim,” he said.

Authorities from the police, fire station, and municipal disaster office helped in the retrieval operation.

Police reminded parents to watch over their children closely, especially near rivers.

“I-guide pa rin natin sila na mag-ingat or kung maaari eh wag na natin silang hayaan na sila-sila lang yung pupunta,” PMaj. Napoleon Velasco Jr., chief of San Jacinto Police Station, said.