AN army deputy brigade commander drowned in a tragic diving accident off Iligan Bay in Initao town, Misamis Oriental Saturday morning.
Initao police investigator Cito Chiel Balaba identified the victim as Army Col. Nolie Anquillano, 54, deputy commander of the Marawi City-based 103rd Infantry Brigade.
Balaba said Anquillano was diving along with fellow Army and police officers when the accident occurred at around 10:20 am Saturday.
“He was declared missing by his companions after they searched the area,” Balaba said
Together with divers who were companions of the victim, the policemen led by Initao town police chief Maj. Roberto Cambi joined the search.
Police said the seas around Initao town were windy and rough because of the Northeasterly winds or “Amihan.”
Balaba said the body of the victim was found at around 1:15 pm and was brought to the Misamis Oriental Provincial Hospital in Initao where he was declared dead by an attending physician, a certain Dr. Fajardo.
Anquillano is the second officer from the Army 103rd Infantry Brigade who died while on a diving trip.
Brig. Gen. Daniel Lucero, former 103rd Infantry Brigade commander died in a similar accident in Tukuran town, Zamboanga del Sur on June 1, 2013.
Lucero had just been named as commanding general of the 1st Tabak Division in Pagadian City when he died in the diving accident.
