Alaminos (12 May) -- The city government here described as "unfortunate" the May 1 drowning incident involving a young boy at the Hundred Islands expressing its "deep regret that it ever happened."

City Administrator Wilmer S. Panabang, speaking for the city government, said the city "is much willing to do its part in the family's wakeful days" in a reply-letter to a citizen who was visiting with friends at the Children's Island, part of the island chain, on May 1 when the incident occurred.

Thanking the citizen, a former national government employee and now a non-government organization worker, for his observations and for taking time to write to the city government, Panabang reported that Mayor Hernani Braganza has already ordered the identification of defective facilities (in the Islands) that need rehabilitation and improvement and directed its general services and tourism offices to act on these soonest.

Panabang noted that on the day of the incident, contrary to some reports, the city's composite team of two Bantay Dagat, four maintenance crew and two Red Cross volunteers, all trained as first aiders and as lifeguards, were in their posts and "all accounted for" in the Islands.

It was only unfortunate, he said, that precious time had elapsed before the boy companion of the child in swimming in the shallow waters of the Children's Island, possibly out of shock, was able to report the boy's disappearance in the water to their other companions when they came around looking for him and then called for help.

The city administrator, citing the city's on-site investigation of the incident, said some 20 minutes had already passed since the child sank in the water. Efforts to revive the victim, when rescuers found him, became futile.

"Had our trained rescue and first aid team been alerted and got to him after some 10 minutes or earlier, we're sure the tragedy would have been averted," Panabang said, considering the trained hands available at the Islands to respond to such emergency situations.

The last drowning incident in the Islands was four years ago, the city government said, in stressing the relatively safe management of the Park. (PIA-Pangasinan)