STO. NIÑO, South Cotabato — A tragic drowning incident claimed the lives of two young children, aged three and five, after they reportedly fell into an irrigation canal in Barangay San Vicente, Sto. Niño, South Cotabato, on Thursday afternoon, October 29, 2026.
The victims were identified as Jonrey Lalantacon Mertalla, 3, and Joana Lalantacon Erami, 5, both residents of Purok Malingawon, Barangay San Vicente.
Based on the initial investigation by the Sto. Niño Municipal Police Station, the two children were reportedly playing together near a portion of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) irrigation canal when they may have attempted to cross using a wooden footbridge. They allegedly fell into the canal under circumstances that remain subject to further investigation.
Initial information indicated that the children may have fallen into the concrete-lined section of the canal before being carried by the flowing water. Their bodies were eventually recovered several meters from the suspected point where they fell, in the vicinity of Purok Gensan, also in Barangay San Vicente.
According to Andrew Hornales, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer of Sto. Niño, personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) immediately responded to the incident and conducted rescue operations.
The children were rushed to Norala District Hospital for emergency medical attention. However, despite the responders’ efforts, attending physicians declared both victims dead on arrival.
Their remains were subsequently placed at the hospital morgue pending post-mortem examinations.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to establish the complete circumstances surrounding the incident, including how the children fell into the irrigation canal and the events leading to their deaths.
The tragedy underscores the dangers posed by open irrigation canals and other waterways, particularly in communities where children may have access to these areas.
Parents and guardians are urged to exercise heightened vigilance and ensure that young children are properly supervised, especially when playing near irrigation canals, rivers, drainage systems, and other bodies of water where strong currents and steep concrete banks can pose serious drowning risks.
The incident serves as another painful reminder that even a brief moment without adult supervision can have devastating consequences, particularly for very young children.