A teenager set to go to college on a scholarship drowned in a swimming pool in a subdivision in Bacolod City yesterday.

Jessa Jean Picaso, 16, died while being treated at the Doctor’s Hospital about an hour after she was rescued from the bottom of the Celine Homes clubhouse swimming pool in Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod, after noon yesterday, her cousin, Jinky Picaso, said.

Vic Banaay of the St. Raphael Development Corp. confirmed the incident, PO1 Sherwin Rojas of Police Station 4, said.

Jinky said she and Jessa Jean are spending their vacation at their aunt Lory’s house and went to the recreation area. She also said they were finalizing their applications for scholarships at the Carlos Hilado Memorial State College-Fortune Town campus.

“I thought she was just joking. I even tried to kick her,” Jinky told the DAILY STAR through the telephone last night. She added that Jessa Jean had vomited water when she applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her.

Her cousin had hoped to study Hotel and Restaurant Management at CHMSC, Jinky said.

She said she did not stop Jessa Jean when she went into the deeper portion of the pool, thinking that she knew how to swim. She added that she did not actually see how she drowned and just saw her lying face down at the bottom when she noticed that the splashing of the water had stopped.

She said she called for help as there was no lifeguard then and a tanod rescued Jessa Jean.

Jinky said she and Jessa Jean grew up together in Brgy. Cabanbanan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, and they have been staying at their aunt’s house for about two weeks. That was the first time they used the pool, she said.

Police Station 4 commander, Chief Inspector Santiago Rapiz, said Jessa Jean’s family members have not shown any intention of filing charges against SRDC and are just hoping for financial help from the subdivision’s developer.

He said initial statements from the family indicated that they realized that the drowning was an accident.

Rapiz also said that the family had told them that SRDC had paid for the teenager’s hospital bills.

Efforts to contact SRDC failed up to press time last night.

Jessa Jean’s remains are now at the St. Peter Memorial Homes in Brgy. Alijis, Bacolod, Jinky said.*PP

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