- Falling tree kills 12-year-old boy inside shanty in Marilog District
AN ORDINARY afternoon turned fatal for a 12-year-old minor after a massive tree collapsed onto a makeshift shanty during heavy rainfall and strong winds in Marilog District on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
The Davao City Police Office identified the victim as alias Angelo, a resident of Sitio Kawayan, Lower B, Barangay Tamugan, Marilog District.
Responding Marilog Police Station personnel, led by duty investigator PSSg Rey T. Calaque and PSMS Alex Montalban, rushed to the area on the directive of acting station commander PMAJ Renante C. Aritalia after receiving the emergency alert.
By the time law enforcement reached the scene, Tamugan Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (BDRRMC) rescuers, led by Eboy Gahoc, had already extricated the boy’s body from under the heavy trunk.
Initial police investigation revealed that the victim and his sibling were seeking shelter inside a localized community shanty ( purok ) near their residence when the tragedy struck.
Without warning, a large Ipil-Ipil tree uprooted and directly crushed the structure.
Alias Jeana, the victim’s aunt, recounted to investigators that the tree’s sudden collapse might have been caused by the relentless rainfall and localized gusty winds that have been battering their areas for days.
Due to the sheer weight and impact of the debris, the victim sustained severe, fatal injuries that resulted in his instantaneous death, investigators noted.
His sibling managed to escape without reported critical injuries.
The victim’s body was subsequently transported to the Angel Funeral Home in Calinan, Davao City, for proper disposition.
Local disaster officials have reiterated their warnings to residents living near steep slopes or old trees to relocate to safer ground during heavy downpours, as rain-soaked soil drastically weakens root foundations in the rural terrain of the Marilog district.
