PNP to push for inclusion of swimming lessons in the DepEd curriculum

PNP to push for inclusion of swimming lessons in the DepEd curriculum

By Aaron Recuenco

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is pushing for the inclusion of swimming lessons in the curriculum for grade school and high school students in the country following the death of 45 people across the country due to drowning in less than three weeks this month.

PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said the figure of 45 deaths occurred from April 5 to April 21 this year.

(PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN)

“This serves as an eye-opener, possibly for agencies and organizations involved in promoting personal safety to initiate programs to develop basic drown-proofing and swimming skills,” said Albayalde.

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He said the swimming lessons and drown-proofing could be integrated in the physical education curriculum in schools.

CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) and Central Luzon have the most number of fatalities with 15 and 10 drowning deaths, respectively.
The two regions are among the top destinations for swimming and vacation in Luzon.

Seven deaths were reported in Central Visayas, while six in Cagayan Valley region, most of them in rivers.

There were three drowning deaths in Metro Manila swimming pools.

The PNP leadership earlier advised parents to keep an eye on their children while in the resorts or swimming pools.

Most of the victims were reportedly minors, while there were cases wherein adults drowned while they were drunk.

Based on the data of the World Health Organization, some 372, 000 people die every year due to drowning, the third leading causes of unintentional deaths.

In the Philippines, an average of 2,496 deaths per year caused by drowning were recorded from 1980 to 2011.

The article PNP to push for inclusion of swimming in school curricula after recording 45 deaths due to drowning appeared in Manila Bulletin