PUBLISHED ONMay 13, 2026 2:27 PMBYKoh Xing YingA 12-year-old girl from the Philippines has been hailed for her extraordinary courage after she swam nearly 6km to seek help when her family's boat capsized at sea.
For more than five hours, Cherry Ann Mateo swam against strong currents after the motorboat she was on, carrying three other passengers, overturned on May 6, reported The Manila Times.
Local authorities said the vessel was travelling back to Batbatan Island from the mainland of Culasi when it encountered huge waves and strong winds.
The passengers on board were reportedly on their way back to the island after travelling to sell dried fish, a journey that would normally take one-and-a-half hours.
While Mateo successfully reached land, another survivor, Dante Salvador, 60, reportedly tried to follow her route but was carried away by strong waves.
He was later rescued.
The two other passengers, Angelita Patricio, 58, and Rose Salvador, 49, remained with the overturned vessel as it drifted towards the waters off Libertad, Antique, until they were rescued.
In recognition of her courage, Mateo was awarded with a certificate by the Philippine Coast Guard in a post shared on Facebook on Monday (May 11).
Two other rescuers, Edgar Antonio and Johnny Patricio, were also recognised for contributing to the rescue of the remaining survivors.
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xingying.koh@asiaone.com
