Photo by: San Marcelino Public Information Office
SAN MARCELINO, Zambales — The Search, Rescue and Retrieval (SRR) operation for victims of a drowning incident at Lake Mapanuepe in Barangay Buhawen here on Aug. 27, 2026 resumed Saturday, with two children found dead while the search continues for a pregnant woman who remains missing.
Two of the three persons reported missing were recovered on Saturday, while authorities continued their efforts to locate the remaining victim.
At around 10:10 a.m., Marcelo Balario and five other residents of Barangay Buhawen spotted the body of a child floating in the lake while they were aboard a motorized banca traveling from Sitio Lumibao to Buhawen Proper.
The residents immediately retrieved the body and brought it to Buhawen Proper.
Photo by: San Marcelino Public Information Office
At around 11:05 a.m., responding personnel recovered another body believed to be that of a child from the lake.
The remains of the two victims were brought to FAMA Funeral Home Service for proper handling and disposition.
The SRR operation for the remaining missing victim, a pregnant woman, is continuing despite rainy weather and difficult conditions at the lake.
Personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), San Marcelino Municipal Police Station, 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Zambales Police Provincial Office, Olongapo Maritime, Bureau of Fire Protection-San Marcelino, MDRRMO-San Antonio, Maritime Olongapo, and the Philippine Army’s 69th Infantry Battalion are taking part in the operation.
The search was temporarily suspended Friday due to inclement weather and zero visibility beneath the lake before resuming Saturday.
San Marcelino Mayor Elvis Ragadio Soria thanked the rescue teams and participating agencies for continuing the operation despite the challenging weather and terrain.
The municipal government also said it would shoulder the funeral service expenses for the two child victims as part of its assistance to the bereaved families.