Janson family awaits return of father, brother from Guimaras to Cebu

Barangay Ermita, Cebu City residents Romeo Baguio Jr. and his three-year-old son, Jay Arvien, are among the fatalities in the sea tragedy off Iloilo Strait on Saturday, August 3. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Janber Janson could only hope to see his father, Bernardo, and younger brother, Jared, again.

Or at least for the last time.

Bernardo, 56, was among the fatalities in the tragic capsizing of three motorized pump boats in Iloilo Strait on Saturday, August 3.

Jared, 4, remains missing.

The father and son went with their relatives, which include six members of the Baguio family, to Iloilo.

The trip was arranged for Romeo Baguio Jr. to formally request for the blessing and support of the family of Maria Nieves Grandeza, as they have decided to get married.

Grandeza is a native of Guimaras province.

Romeo Jr. was with his father, Romeo Sr., 56; mother, Angelina, 54; elder brother Romnel, 31; and relatives Dannylyn and Dannelle Baguio.

They were with Bernardo and Jared when they left their homes in Sitio Ermita Proper, Barangay Ermita in Cebu City on the evening of Thursday, August 1.

From Iloilo, the group took a pump boat to Guimaras, Grandeza’s home province.

The group was filled with joy after a successful pamamanhikan. They had an overnight stay in Guimaras on Friday, August 2, before getting on another pump boat that was supposed to take them back to Iloilo City.

They left Guimaras for Iloilo City on Saturday, August 3.

The festive atmosphere filled with laughter was replaced with wails of sorrow as the pump boat that the six members of the Baguio family, Bernardo, Romeo Jr. and Grandeza’s three-year-old son, Jay Arvien, capsized on their way to Iloilo City.

From Iloilo City, the group was supposed to take another vessel that will bring them back home to Cebu City.

READ: 8 persons dead, 31 rescued as 3 boats capsize in Visayas

Grandeza was the lone survivor of the group.

Janber said they still could not believe that their family members are gone.

“Mga three hours before ni sila nilarga padung uli, nagpost pa gani sila nga nangaligo sila og dagat,” Janber told CDN Digital.

(Around three hours before they left for Guimaras on their way home to Cebu, they even posted photos of them on Facebook enjoying the beach.)

According to Jared, they could only hope now that the remains of their family members will be brought back to Cebu City so they can properly bid them goodbye.

“Di lang unta mi ganahan nga madugay sila og kuha kay basin moburot na or unsa. Ganahan lang mi makakita nila bisan last na lang,” Janber said.

(We hope that their bodies will be retrieved and brought back here soon so they will not be bloated. We only want to see them even for the last time.)

Janber said Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella visited them on Sunday, August 4, and promised that the city will give them assistance for the burial of their family members.

He said the mayor also promised to assist them in bringing back the remains of their relatives back to Cebu.

In a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, August 5, the Iloilo City government said there are 54 confirmed deaths from the capsizing of the three pump boats on August 3.

Twelve individuals are still missing. / celr