SAN FABIAN – A child drowned here when the boat she and members of her family were riding on capsized in the Lingayen Gulf in barangay Alacan during the celebration of “Pista’y Dayat (Sea Festival) on Thursday.

The drowning of Rosemarie Abuan, four years old, was the only tragic incident that marred the celebration of the festival held in the beaches of Pangasinan, from San Fabian in the northeast to Bolinao town in the north west.

Police said the boat overturned when it was hit by strong waves
in Lingayen Gulf that day, throwing all its occupants in the water.

Thousands of people again flocked to the beaches San Fabian, Dagupan, Binmaley, Lingayen, Labrador, Sual, the Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Bani, Bolinao and Anda on Tuesday for the Pista’y Dayat celebration.

The “Pista’y Dayat” is traditionally celebrated as a form of thanksgiving to the Lord for giving the fishermen in the coastal areas of Pangasinan bountiful fish catch all-year round. (PNA)