MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Nov. 21 (PIA) — The seawaters that divide this city and Bohol province, a distance of about 17 kilometers, became the stage used by a noted Filipino aquaman to advance his advocacies on clean seas and tourism.
Ingemar Macarine, a lawyer by profession, successfully conquered the said seawaters, known as the Canigao Channel, in an epic, first-of-a-kind swim Sunday, November 20, 2016, finishing the punishing feat in six hours and 37 minutes.
The swim was over by Sunday noon, from barangay Tugas, President Carlos Garcia town at the Bohol side, to barangay Guadalupe, a coastal barangay, in this city, according to a facebook post by Ric Obedencio shared by Inquirer correspondent Jani Arnaiz.
In the first ten kilometers from take-off, Macarine, a native of Surigao and an election officer at the Comelec, Tubigon, Bohol office, struggled against big waves, and the next seven kilometers against strong current, the day’s weather a mix of a partially sunny and cloudy sky.
A triathlon athlete with the alias Pinoy Aquaman, also conquered other seas surrounding Bohol and Cebu, but it was the first time he extended his reach for this city through open water sea swim to further his cause, especially to promote tourism for Ubay and call attention for clean seas.
He said he was grateful to Mayor Costan Reyes of Ubay, Bohol, and Cong. Aris Aumentado for the support, including a 20-man standby, emergency crew that followed him in a motorboat. (PIA8-Southern Leyte)
