A 10-year-old girl drowned while swimming at sea together with her classmates in Maasim, Sarangani.
The girl was a Grade 6 student at a school in Barangay Poblacion. She and her classmates went to the beach right behind their school morning on August 6, 2026.
According to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the students did not have classes that day after the local government suspended face-to-face classes after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Sarangani the day before on August 5.
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The victim went out with her classmates but they reportedly did not inform anyone they would go for a swim.
“Ingon sa iyang ginikanan, gihapit daw sila sa iyang mga classmate unya wala pud nag-inform ang iyahang mga classmate nga mangaligo og dagat,” said Arsen Kamal of MDRRMO Maasim.
Kamal said that because the weather was bad at that time, the sea may have been rough when the children were at sea.
The child’s classmates reportedly did not notice that she had struggled in the water and when they did, none of them swam after her out of fear.
“Lahi baya ang dagat karon kay tungod aning mga hangin-hangin karon ba, dagko-dagko ang balod. Then, ang bata wala nabantayan sa iyang mga classmate nalumos, unya wala pud gitabangan sa mga classmate kay nahadlok,” Kamal said.
The child was brought to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
MDRRMO reminded parents to always keep an eye on their children.
