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At least 18 residents rescued in separate incidents in St John the Baptist Feast in Kalibo
KALIBO, Aklan- At least 18 residents were separately rescued by the Kalibo MDRRMO Monday as it celebrates the feast of St. John the Baptist.
Terence Toriano, head of the MDRRMO-Kalibo, said that 13 of the residents were rescued onboard a wooden boat. Three of the victims were minors.
The incident happened past 5 p.m. at the Lambingan Beach in Barangay Pook, Kalibo Aklan. “Five more separate near drowning incidents were reported in Barangay Mabilo, an adjacent coastal village of Pook. Based on the initial investigation of the Kalibo MDRRMO, those in the wooden banca came from nearby
Bahura Island and came to the mainland of Kalibo to celebrate the feast day. 11 of those rescued, including the minors, were brought to Dr. Rafael S. Tumbukon Memorial Hospital for medical treatment. Two of the victims refused to be brought to the hospital for a checkup.
Both the Kalibo Municipal Police Station and the Kalibo Bureau of Fire and Protection reported the said capsizing of the boat on their respective social media pages. They said they helped rescue the victims.
“Our personnel deployed in the area were packing their stuff as we were about to exit, but then we received reports of the incident. All those incidents involved happened because of the localized rain showers exacerbated by climate change. We have to be weary about the weather patterns nowadays, even when those are isolated incidents. Climate change is kicking us in the butt,” he said.
Manuel Jeffrey Jizmundo, officer in charge of Aklan PDRRMO, said they also deployed 12 personnel, which includes four staff and eight volunteers, to the rescue of those on the wooden boat. At about 3:00 am on Monday,
Toriano said they monitored strong winds that caused at least food tents toppled at the Pook Jetty port. The foot tents were installed as a place for vendors to anticipate the influx of swimmers coming to the beach festival.
Rev. Fr. Justy More, who heads the historical, research, and cultural council of the Kalibo Diocese, said that June 24 is considered a momentous day for the Kalibo Cathedral as it not only commemorates the feast of patron saint St. John the Baptist but also marks a significant milestone in its history.
“On this very day, June 24, 1991, the St. John the Baptist Cathedral Parish was canonically decreed the Diocesan Shrine of the Santo Niรฑo de Kalibo by the first Bishop of Kalibo, Most Rev. Juan N. Nilmar, D.D. It is a day that should be remembered and cherished as it signifies the official recognition of the multitude of devotions centered around the miraculous image of the Sto. Niรฑo de Kalibo,” he added.
