Coast Guard hopes to find more survivors of MBCA Amejara
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 21 January) – An official of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) expressed hope that more survivors of MBCA Amejara will be found as search and rescue operations for 11 passengers and three crew members of the ill-fated vessel continued on Wednesday.
Capt. Noemie Cayabyab, PCG spokesperson, said in a phone interview Wednesday that Christopher Bulig, one of the rescued crew members of the vessel that sank in Davao Gulf, recounted seeing other survivors.
MBCA Amejara was reported missing at 1 p.m. on Monday, and was last sighted in the waters off Sarangani municipality in Davao Occidental.
The boat left Santa Ana Wharf in Davao City at 8 p.m. on January 17, bound for Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental. It was expected to arrive at its destination on January 19.
Cayabyab quoted Bulig as saying that other passengers managed to cling to the floating debris after the vessel capsized due to strong winds and waves. Some of them, she said, even waited to get phone signals to contact their relatives.
“Some of the passengers were able to cling to floating debris, and they were able to group themselves. The survivor (Bulig) decided to swim alone toward the shoreline, but due to the strong current, he became exhausted and spent the entire night of January 19 floating in the water,” she said.
Rescuers spotted Bulig drifting between the municipal waters of Barangay Laker in Sarangani town and Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental.
Aerial and surface search of the gulf, including the vicinity waters of Sarangani, is currently ongoing in the hopes of rescuing the remaining passengers and crew members of the motorized vessel, Cayabyab said.
A report from Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSM) on January 19 stated that MBCA Amejara was not allowed to venture by PCG personnel for having no permit from the Maritime Industry Authority.
Cayabyab said that determining why the vessel was allowed to sail without PCG clearance will form part of the investigation, but added that “as of the moment, the PCG is focusing on the search and rescue operations” because “time is of the essence.”
The official added that rescuers are finding it difficult to search due to rough sea conditions.
“We expanded our search area. We added floating assets and even aircraft, issued notice to mariners, and our coordination with the local government units is ongoing,” she said.
According to the CGDSM, a total of 24 floating assets, including BRP Malawi and BRP Panglao, as well as S-70i Black Hawk Helicopter No. 101 of the Philippine Air Force, have been deployed to assist in the search and rescue mission in Davao Gulf. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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