A six-year-old girl drowned at a river in Barangay Tabucolan, Santa, Ilocos Sur.

Authorities identified the girl as Jona Mae Rindon. 

Loreta Bragado, the victim's cousin and guardian, was reportedly in Vigan during the incident, and Rindon was left in the care of other relatives.

According to reports, the girl went to the river with a six-year-old playmate. Her playmate reportedly nearly drowned but was rescued by an uncle living nearby. The child is now in stable condition at the hospital.

The playmate reportedly did not mention that Rindon had drowned and it was only later that they realized the child was missing.

"Bandang alas otso ng umaga, sinabi nilang may isang nawawalang bata. Hindi naman sinabi ng mga kalaro niya na nalunod na siya," Bragado said.

Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) teams and the Philippine Coast Guard conducted a search and retrieval operation for several hours. 

Rindon’s body surfaced the next day, a few meters from where she and her friends had been swimming.

"Mas mataas ‘yung lebel ng tubig ng dagat kaysa ‘yung lebel ng tubig ng ilog yesterday morning upon the incident happened. Tapos while we were conducting our search, pababa naman na, pa-low tide na ‘yung dagat… maburak din kasi ‘yung kung saan siya nalunod, so the visibility was not good down the river,” Vince Cardenas of the Santa Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO), said.

Bragado grieves Rindon's death.

"Masakit kasi ako ang nag-aalaga sa kanya, ako ang nagpapaaral sa kanya," she said.

Authorities urged parents and guardians to always supervise children closely, especially those living near bodies of water like rivers, to prevent similar incidents.