Liquor and swimming don’t go together

Last Thursday 13 April 2006 at around eight in the evening at Ocean View Beach Resort, lifeguards Rodrigo Garcia and Vilmar Codilla received report of a drowning victim later identified as Romeo Bendea, 45 years old of 45 Scout Borromeo, Kamuning, Diliman, Quezon City.

The victim was given CPR and rushed to James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital by the resort's caretaker Mr. Philip Pangan where attending physician Dr. Beverly Bumolo pronounced Bendea dead on arrival.

Further investigation revealed that Bendea was under the influence of liquor when the drowning incident happened, the relatives of the victim attested to the said fact.

Ocean View shouldered the hospitalization expenses as well as the autopsy and transportation of the body to Quezon City.

At around 10 pm the same day, a guest at cottage #10 of Abarros Resort in Baloy Long Beach was reported missing; the body was later recovered at around 3am the next day and was declared dead by doctors from Mt. Carmel Hospital. Investigators after interviewing the victim's relative reported that the victim who came from Pampanga may have drowned himself since this was actually his second attempt in ending his life, he had been noticed to be extremely depressed in the past few days leading to the incident, like the earlier victim, he was also under the influence of liquor.

City Disaster Management Officer Angie Layug immediately conducted inspection on the said resorts and reiterated DMO's recommendations citing the April 3 and April 13 drowning incidents in the beaches of Olongapo.

Among the recommendations are:

• to install a Public Address system for information and emergency purposes;
• to install additional lifeguard towers;
• to have First Aid kit at every lifeguard station;
• to provide improvised stretcher; and
• to ensure safety of all beachgoers in their area of responsibility

He also reminded parents and guardians to look after their children after a near drowning incident that happened this afternoon involving two minors. He commended lifeguard Perea who had undergone lifeguard training under the city’s Disaster Management Office for saving the lives of two children at Baloy Long Beach. The DMO will be deployed in full force tomorrow at various beaches in Olongapo to ensure the safety of beachgoers.

Volunteers for OPLAN SUMVAC 2006 ready to serve and protect.