A 53-year-old man was found dead in an irrigation canal in Bago City, Negros Occidental on Sunday, June 15, a day after he was last seen near his home.
Police identified the victim as Jonel Tarcita, a resident of Purok Langka, Brgy. Caridad.
The Bago City Police Station said it received a report about the incident at around 7:40 a.m.
Investigation showed that the victim was last seen at his residence near an irrigation canal at around 1 p.m. on June 14.
A neighbor told police that the victim had been suffering from tuberculosis and was supposed to be accompanied to the hospital for a medical check-up on Monday morning of June 15.
However, the victim could no longer be found at his house.
Police later learned that a 14-year-old resident had reportedly seen a person in the irrigation canal at around 3 p.m. on June 14, with one arm protruding above the water while the rest of the body was submerged.
The incident was not immediately reported because residents initially thought the person was merely bathing in the canal.
A joint search and retrieval operation was then launched by personnel of the Bago City Police Station, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Philippine Coast Guard.
At around 11:30 a.m. on June 15, responders recovered the victim’s body from an irrigation canal in Purok Tapulanga, Brgy. Bagroy, approximately seven kilometers from where he was last seen.
The victim was brought to the Bago City Hospital, where he was declared dead by the attending physician.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.*
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