SABLAN Mayor Alfredo Dacumos, Jr. has ordered the temporary closure of Towing Falls at Lower Poblacion, Sablan, Benguet following a drowning incident that transpired in the area on Monday, January 2.
On January 2, a 21-year old male drowned at the falls in Sablan, prompting the closure of the site to the public.
Executive Order (EO) No. 01, series of 2023 issued by Mayor Dacumos states that the “immediate closure of the site was instantaneously implemented following the drowning incident as all circumstantial actions of parties concerned were being carefully assessed to not find faults and misdemeanors but to carefully act on the said mishap’s aftermath though not ably avoided at hand”.
According to EO 01, the Towing Falls was reopened to the general public in December of last year, prior to which municipal and barangay authorities came to an agreement regarding the management of the site while implementing rules and regulations (IRR) were still in the works.
However, even with the local management, community watch, and orientations for visitors, the drowning incident still took place, prompting a closure while the local government both establishes a final IRR and reviews the measures already in place to prevent a repeat of the incident once the site is reopened.
