Lawmakers are seeking a congressional probe on the circumstances surrounding the death of seven members of the Boracay Dragon Force Team when their boat capsized off the island of Boracay last Sept. 25 during their training.
Aklan Rep. Carlito Marquez and Probinsyano Ako partylist Rep. Jose “Bonito” Singson Jr. filed House Resolutions No. 385 and 397, respectively, to look into tragedy met by the Boracay Dragon Force Team.
“A report released by the Office of the Municipal Mayor of Malay said all the victims were not wearing life vests at the time of the accident and that one of the victims does not know how to swim,” Marquez said.
“Capt. Armand Balilo, Coast Guard spokesperson, confirmed that no one from the team wore life vest, clarifying that dragon boat training is not covered by the agency’s regulation on wearing life vests, “ he noted.
The seven victims, including three women, were training for the 2019 Kaohsiung City Cup international dragon boat championship from Nov. 8 to 10 in Taiwan.
“Considering that this is not the first time an incident involving waters sports have happened which resulted to death or incapacitation of our athletes, it is imperative that an investigation on the incident be conducted in order to come up with potential legislation aimed at providing safety regulation for athletes involved in extreme water sports,” Singson said.
Citing reports, he said the members of the Boracay Dragon Force Team were practicing off Sitio Lingganay in Barangay Manoc-Manoc when their boat was hit by strong waves, causing it to tip over. (Charissa L. Atienza)
