Pumpboat operator, driver to be summoned for leaving two foreign divers

CEBU CITY—The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will summon the driver of a pumpboat for leaving behind two foreigners who were on a diving session in the waters off Apo Island in Negros Oriental on Monday.

Petty Officer 1st Class Rosiendo Ricamara of PCG in Negros Oriental said Joel Anggana would be asked to explain why he didn’t wait for Mattew Latrance and Sway Rawla to resurface.

PCG will also summon Harold Biglete being the pumpboat operator.

Latrance, 40 and a Canadian diving instructor; and Rawla, 31 and an American advance diver, had checked in to a resort in the capital city of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental.

They tapped the services of Anggana, pumpboat driver to bring them to the waters near Apo Island for a diving session on Monday afternoon.

Before they went under, the two gave explicit instructions to Anggana to wait for them on the spot where they dropped them off since they would only be gone for a couple of hours.

When the two resurfaced, they were surprised to see the pumpboat gone.

The two floated on the waters for hours, waiting for help to arrive.

At 10:26 p.m., the foreigners saw a cargo vessel and immediately blew their whistle.

Ricarte Hibalay, captain of MV Fortune Gold of Cebu-based Fortune Sea Carrier, heard the distress call and instructed his crew members to pull up the two on board.

The vessel docked at the port in Dumaguete to drop Latrance and Rawla past midnight on Tuesday. The two were now back in their hotel.