GMA News senior reporter Bam Alegre recounted a near-death experience after he slipped and fell into the sea while on assignment at the Port Area in Manila in the early hours of Monday, January 26.
Alegre was covering the arrival of Filipino sailors rescued by the Chinese Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea when the accident happened. In a Facebook post shared later that day, the journalist described the terrifying moment he plunged from the side of a ship into deep water.
“10 feet. 18 feet. Hindi ko alam paano sukatin. Basta nang mahulog ako sa gilid ng barko, tila isang segundo akong nakalutang sa ere bago bumulusok sa dagat,” Alegre wrote.
He recalled realizing how deep the water was when he could not feel the seabed beneath him.
“Habang nakalubog, hindi ko makapa ang ilalim. Malalim. Hindi pa ako handa na mag-flashback ang buong buhay ko,” he added.
Alegre said he instinctively tried to remember the safety training he had received years earlier and fought to stay calm.
“Sa taas ng tumba, kung may tumama sa ulo ko, o kaya nawalan ako ng malay, wala na ako. Pero may himala. May wake-up call din. Hindi pa oras. Dapat bigyang saysay ang panibagong buhay,” he shared.
In a separate interview, Alegre explained that he was at Pier 13 and was being transported with other journalists to the Philippine Coast Guard base area when he slipped on a dark and uneven surface.
“Itong particular surface na ito, it was dark and madaling araw siya and madilim and makitid din. Tapos ano kasi, may part doon na uneven ‘yung surface like para siyang lulubog,” he said.
He fell through the narrow space between the ship and the pier.
“When I slipped doon sa uneven surface na ‘yun, wala akong nakapitan. Dire-diretso ako doon sa baba. I couldn’t really estimate how steep it was… it felt to me like a second. I was falling endlessly for a second before I hit water,” Alegre recounted.
Estimations later placed the fall at no less than 10 feet. Once underwater, he forced himself to swim despite the shock.
“Langoy aso. So that’s what I did. I raised my hands and naglangoy aso ako… sabi ko bahala na. Langoy aso na,” he said.
After resurfacing, Alegre shouted for help and clung to a post covered with sharp shells, injuring his fingers in the process. Personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard threw him a floating device with a rope and pulled him to safety.
He was given first aid on site before being brought to Manila Doctors Hospital, where he received an anti-tetanus shot. Despite the ordeal, Alegre later went on to attend a speaking engagement with university students in Bacoor.
Reflecting on the incident, he admitted it deeply affected him.
“I was lucky na wala akong major injury… I had this realization na I was really lucky that day. And probably a new life, and parang I wanted to maximize,” he said.
“Maybe I need to maximize my days. Make full use of my life,” he added.
While he said he can already return to work, Alegre acknowledged that the experience still weighs heavily on him.
“It’s still on my mind… it’s messing with my mind that I could have died,” he said.
In a follow-up post on Tuesday, January 27, the journalist thanked everyone who expressed concern and offered prayers.
“Thank you so much for everyone who sent their well wishes… gusto ko nga bigyan ng reply lahat ng comments pero masakit pa kasi ‘yung daliri ko,” he wrote.
