Albay: The body of a teenage boy who was declared missing for nearly three days was found at Cabilogan River in Barangay Busac, Oas, Albay.

According to Philippines News Agency, Oas Mayor John Kenneth Trinidad confirmed that the body was that of the 16-year-old boy who went swimming on August 31 at an irrigation area. He was swept away by a strong current along with his 18-year-old brother, whose body was recovered the same day.

“Today, we recovered the body of the deceased’s brother. This follows our search and retrieval operation with the assistance of the scuba divers from the Philippine Coast Guard, personnel from the Albay Public Safety and Management Office, the Bureau of Fire and Protection, the Philippine National Police, and our emergency response team. We didn’t stop searching after the incident last August 31,” Trinidad stated. He added that the body would be taken to the morgue and buried immediately.

The local government, through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office and the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, plans to provide assistance to the victims’ family. Mayor Trinidad also mentioned efforts to strengthen the barangays’ disaster response capabilities to monitor weather conditions more effectively.

“The good working relationship with other government agencies provides a better and immediate response during calamities and emergencies. We have an emergency response team here in our LGU that has been activated since the incident happened,” he added.

In a separate interview, PCG-5 commander, Commodore Ivan Roldan, noted that two teams had been deployed to assist in the recovery of the teenagers. “We deployed two teams on site, equipped with rubber boats and divers, to ensure a thorough search of the area, and it has now been confirmed that the victim was recovered,” Roldan said. He emphasized the necessity of training local government personnel and officials in water search and rescue operations.