Tragedy Strikes: Man Drowns at Leganes Beach Resort During Family Vacation

ILOILO CITY – Tragedy struck a beach resort in Leganes when a man lost his life to drowning during what was supposed to be a happy family vacation. The incident took place at Playa de Jaen in Barangay M.H Hechanova at around 12:30 noon.

According to Master Sergeant Emanuel Maude, who is investigating the case, the victim was 17-year-old Carl Raven Arguelles from Bitoon, Jaro. Carl was the first to be found struggling in the water beyond his depth and calling out for help. His father, Giovanni Arguelles, and his cousins Louei John Bestido, 24, and Joshua Reynor Lo, 17, rushed to his aid, with Giovanni successfully rescuing his son.

However, tragedy struck again when Joshua also drowned while attempting to save Carl. Despite a search by a team of rescuers, Joshua was only found a couple of hours later, floating 4 meters away from where he had gone under. He was declared dead upon arrival at Metro Iloilo Hospital, while Carl survived and is in stable condition. Louie John managed to swim back to shore safely.

According to Maude’s investigation, the seawater was rough at the time of the incident, with the victims found around 50 meters away from the shoreline. Carl had eaten a meal before swimming and was caught by a whirlpool caused by the high tide.

The resort did not have any lifeguards on standby, and the victims were not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The once joyful family vacation ended in tragedy, leaving loved ones and the community mourning the loss of a young life.