New Hashtags member drowned in Davao Occidental
Hashtags member Franco Hernandez via Instagram.
MANILA, Philippines — Franco Hernandez, a new member of boy group Hashtags as seen in the ABS-CBN noontime show “It’s Showtime,” has reportedly drowned Saturday afternoon in Davao Occidental.
Cornerstone Entertainment, the talent agency that handles Hernandez, confirmed the death.
According to police, the 26-year-old performer was with his girlfriend and another Hashtags member, Tom Doromal, in a motorized banca on their way back to North Lamidan, Don Marcelino, when a strong wave hit their boat, toppling Hernandez and his girlfriend off the boat.
When he and his girlfriend were retrieved, Hernandez was no longer conscious. He was brought to a clinic in a town called Malita, but he was later on declared dead on arrival.
Franco’s fans and celebrities like Gretchen Ho and “It’s Showtime” hosts Vice Ganda and Kim Chiu expressed their sorrow and condolences on social media, making "Franco" a top-trending Twitter topic with 195,000 tweets as of posting.
Hernandez was one of the new Hashtags members introduced last February. He was fondly called, "Hataw Heartthrob.”
On his Instagram account, he described himself as "fun-loving and adaptable."
"We promise to do our best because this kind of opportunity na magpasaya ng madlang people and maging parte ng masayang pamilya, minsan lang ito mangyari,” he said in the show.
Before he died, Franco even managed to post photos about his travel.
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