TWELVE fishermen and two passengers of a fishing boat were reported missing yesterday after their vessel collided with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel off Occidental Mindoro early morning Sunday due to rough waters.
The Philippine Coast Guard said its ships and aircraft are conducting search and rescue operations for the missing fishermen and passengers of FV Liberty 5.
PCG spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo said initial reports reaching the PCG head office in Manila showed the incident occurred at around 1 a.m. Sunday some 14.6 nautical miles west southwest of Barangay Tayamaan in Mamburao town.
Balilo said the FB Liberty 5, homeported in Palawan, was on its way to the Navotas fish port when it figured in the collision with MV Vienna Wood which was en route to Australia from Subic in Zambales.
The PCG initially deployed BRP Boracay for the conduct of search and rescue mission.
Another multi-role vessel and two helicopters were later sent to the area to help in the effort.
BRP Boracay escorted BRP Vienna Wood, which has 20 crew members on board, to Batangas. The cargo vessel was not carrying any cargo at the time of the collision, the PCG said.
The PCG said there was rough sea condition in the area prior to the collision.
Balilo said the PCG first received information about the collision from the captain of MV Vienna Wood, who he did not identify.
Fermin Sotto, general manager of the Irma Fishing and Trading Company which owns FV Liberty 5, said several boats of the firm are helping authorities in the search and rescue operations.
Sotto also said the 12 missing crew members of FV Liberty 5 was led by its captain, Jose Magnit. Also missing are two passengers, identified as Ariel Tabang and Eduardo Manipol.
He said the crewmen of the MV Vienna Wood searched for survivors after dropping anchor at the site.
“Sa ngayon wala po tayong nakikita pa, sana ligtas silang lahat (As of now we have yet to find them, we hope they are all safe),” said Sotto of the missing fishermen and passengers.
“Yung current ay medyo malakas yan so may tendency na malayo-layo ang padpad. Kung sakaling may lumutang na bangkay so malaking bagay yun kung gamitan ng chopper. (The current is strong so its possible their bodies were brought to a far place. If their bodies float, it will be a big help if choppers will be used),” he also said.
The incident occurred more than a year after a Chinese fishing vessel collided with a Filipino fishing vessel at the vicinity of Recto Bank in Palawan. The Chinese did not extend assistance to distressed 22 Filipino fishermen who were later rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the June 9, 2019 incident.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, asked about the incident, said: “This is a matter to be governed by Philippine law. This is an issue of Philippine Admiralty Law because the collision occurred in Philippine territorial waters. There is no international law application here other than foreign flagship can sail through under the concept of innocent passage.
But as far as the accountability is concerned, the Filipinos will decide because the collision happened in our territorial waters,” he said. — With Jocelyn Montemayor