Two girls who were siblings, aged five and six, drowned in waters off Barangay Totolan in Dauis while their mother was washing clothes in their temporary residence in the village.
The girls were rushed to the Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran City, some two kilometers away from the village, at past 12 noon on Saturday but were declared dead on arrival, said Master Sgt. Darwin Andales of the Dauis Police Station.
“Nanglaba ang inahan wa mabantayi ang mga bata mi dung man diay sa dagat, duol ra man gud,” said Andales.
Upon noticing that her daughters were missing, Gina Corpus rushed to the shore and saw the younger daughter floating and unconscious.
The older sibling was found by her 14-year-old half-brother moments later.
“Pag abot digto [sa hospital] gi-DOA man sa doctor. Ang attending physician didto ingon na wala naman kunoy sign sa kinabuhi pag abot sa duha ka bata,” Andales said.
According to Andales, they were only informed of the incident at past 10 p.m. on the day of the incident.
Corpus and her family are natives of Dimiao town. She was only in Dauis with her daughters while she waited for her husband who worked as a security guard in Tagbilaran City.
“Sa Dimiao sila ga puyo. Ang ilang amahan gwardya sa Tagbilaran mao ng mi apas na sila diri sa Totolan,” said Andales.