MANILA, February 21 ------ Five Filipino fishermen were rescued after their wooden fishing boat was rammed by an unknown vessel in the vicinity of the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea last month, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
PCG deputy spokesperson LtCdr. Michael John Encina said the wooden fishing boat Prince Elmo 2 was hit by a still unidentified vessel on the evening of January 30. On February 16, the Vietnamese cargo vessel MV Dong An was passing near the Spratly Islands and chanced upon the five fishermen. “May nareceive tayo na information coming from MV Dong An, a Vietnamese international vessel, na may narescue sila na 5 Filipino fishermen in areas of the Spratly Islands na natin sa West Philippine Sea,” Encino told reporters in a phone interview. “Hindi [lumubog]. Floating material po during their survival days after ng insidente,” he added. “Nakipagcoordinate sila [MV Dong An] sa atin. Itong 5 fishermen ay yung reported na nawawala from Naic, Cavite.”
Three other fishermen remained missing. According to Encina, the PCG’s BRP Boracay proceeded to its rendezvous point with MV Dong An and facilitated the transfer of the five fishermen on February 19. The PCG vessel carried medical teams and equipment to assess the fishermen’s physical and psychological status. The fishermen have reunited with their families in Naic, Cavite, Encino said.
Based on initial information, the fishermen left Naic on January 17 and planned to fish off the coast of Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro until January 30. However, strong winds reportedly dragged their fishing boat to the West Philippine Sea. Encina could not say if the ramming was intentional, explaining that some ships go on autopilot. “Sa ating initial assessment, most probably, itong barko na dumadaan ay naka-autopilot at hindi nila nakita yung bangka,” the PCG official said. He continued, “During that time, ang malalaking mga barko ay nag-o-autopilot na ito. Kapag naka-autopilot na sila, less na lang ang crew na nagbabantay during the voyage, ilang watch na lang po diyan, at ang maliliit na bangka, hindi na napapansin. These are the circumstances we are considering.”
The PCG created a Marine Casualty Investigation (MCI) team to shed light on the incident. The agency is on the lookout for the three missing fishermen. “Meron din tayong coordination sa Vessel Traffic Management System natin located in Corregidor and Manila,” Encina said. “Makikipag-usap ang MCI team at aalamin anong oras, araw, anong vessel ang dumaan during the said incident.”
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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