PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — A 43-year-old fisherman was found dead after he was attacked by a saltwater crocodile in the southern Palawan town of Balabac, Monday afternoon.
Only the lower extremity of victim Rebenti Ladja was found with the crocodile in the river bank of Sitio Tukanigalo, Barangay Catagupan, around 4 p.m., said Kamaria Ami, the village’s chairman.
She said Ladja went to gather crabs in a river in Tukanigalo on Sunday, but failed to go home the next day.
“The victim usually goes home before or shortly after lunch. But when he didn’t, the family sought the help of the barangay. We went to where he was last seen in the river, then we poked the water and the crocodile went out – it was huge, almost seven feet, and then it let go of the victim’s lower extremity,” Ami narrated.
The attack on Ladja was the first to be recorded this year in Balabac, said Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) spokesperson Jovic Fabello.
“Last year, we recorded three attacks. This year, this is the first. It’s sad because we just went there to do information campaign on what areas should be avoided and apparently, they did not understand us,” he said.
“He (Ladja) was said to be gathering crabs Sunday and was supposed to go home before lunch the next day. We’ve warned them, we’ve put signboards but apparently, the victim needed to get food,” Fabello added. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
