THE Medina Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Council) is investigating why a dike in Barangay Cabug lacked railings after a seven-year-old boy was found dead in the river below the structure on September 26.
The boy was reported to have slid on a slippery, unguarded portion of the flood control dike.
Councilor Arthur Cahoy confirmed Tuesday, September 30, that the council is addressing the issue.
Municipal Engineer Vilma Rombo has been tasked with requesting a copy of the Program of Works (POW) from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineering Office in Gingoog City.
Cahoy said the purpose is to verify whether the flood control project originally included railings.
Councilor Esmael Naguib Jr., chairman of the Committee on Public Safety, stated that if the railings were included in the POW, “someone will definitely be held accountable” for their non-installation, which led to the tragic incident.
The victim’s mother, Chona Castaños, had publicly urged Medina officials to install railings on the dike, saying that if the dike had railings, her son would not have had an accident and died.
“Kinahanglan adunay manubag sa panghitabo,” Naguib said.
However, Naguib noted that if the railings were not in the work program, the council “will find another way to make the area safe and prevent another accident.”
Naguib described a bruise on the child’s forehead, saying “posibling nabunal ang iyang agtang sa semento, kung ugaling na slide sa danlog nga bahin sa dike ug nahulog sa suba.”
Despite this, those who knew the boy considered him a good swimmer, Naguib said.
The victim was buried Thursday, October 2, at the Public Cemetery in Medina.
