EDITORIAL — An avoidable tragedy

Tragedy happened last Saturday afternoon after a 21-year-old drowned while trekking to the Budlaan Falls in Barangay Budlaan, Cebu City.

According to a report in this newspaper, he and three others were washed away by rising floodwaters following heavy rains. The other three were rescued after emergency responders came after dark.

His death could have been avoidable.

Take note that we are not assigning blame to the barangay here. Not all barangays can afford to assign guides to their places of interest. It’s also not their responsibility to keep track of who comes and goes. By all accounts, barangay authorities did their best to respond to the situation given the resources they had.

Take note that we are not assigning blame to the hikers here, either. Everyone has the right to pursue whatever they want to do as a hobby. And exploring the wilderness beyond the urban areas certainly qualifies as a worthwhile endeavor.

It’s also worth it to point out that there are many places worth visiting in our own backyard in Cebu City that most of us aren’t aware of.

However, let this at least be a lesson that those who trek beyond the confines of the city must always be aware of the dangers they might get into and be prepared in case the worst happens.

A trek usually brings the challenge of treacherous terrain and possibly even encounters with local wildlife, but in this case, it would appear to have been the weather. Considering it’s already rainy season and how downpours can occur without much warning, trekkers should be aware that some areas in the hinterlands can get inundated quite easily.

On the part of the city or barangay, regulations can also be put in place to make sure authorities know where people are going and how they can swiftly get to people who need them quickly out in the wilds.

Like we always say in tragedies like this, the best thing to do is turn it into a teachable moment, something we can learn from so hopefully this doesn’t happen again.