15 rescued off Camotes-Danao City waters
Fifteen people including two children were rescued by a passenger vessel after four hours of clinging to an overturned motorized banca, which capsized off Camotes Island and Danao City seas Sunday night.
The passengers, who came from a beach outing in Santiago Bay in San Francisco town, had failed to catch an afternoon ferry to Danao City.
This prompted them to rent an outrigger so they could reach Cebu city in time for work on Monday.
The motorized banca Sineona was an undocumented boat.
Pump boat are also not allowed to travel in the open sea at night because of the risk of navigation for the small boat.
Jose Cabatingan, spokesman of the regional Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) office, said they are investigating the violations committed by Iñigo Rondalo, the operator and skipper.
“Luckily, all of them were rescued when MV Wonderful Stars that came via Cebu City and headed to Ormoc passed the area at 12:40 a.m. on Monday,” said Rodolfo Villajuan, Philippine Coast Guard Cebu District commander.
Jay Dagatan, operations chief of the Danao City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said a passenger vessel that came from Camotes Island confirmed the rough sea conditions before the banca left the area.
En route
Sineona left barangay Unidos, San Francisco town in Camotes Island for Danao City in mainland Cebu at 5:30 pm.
At 8 p.m., the boat capsized after being battered by huge waves between Camotes Island and Danao City.
Villajuan said the passengers clung to the capsized boat until they were rescued at past 12 midnight by MV Wonderful Stars of Roble Shipping Lines, which was en route to Ormoc City from Cebu City.
All 15 passengers including Rondalo were brought to Ormoc City. Four of them were transported back to Cebu City by fast craft at noon yesterday.
The other rescued passengers were scheduled to arrive back in Cebu City in the afternoon.
Gladys Almerez, a friend of rescued passenger Anne Christine Nonless, said the passengers had a beach outing at Santiago Bay in San Francisco Camotes.
They were headed back to mainland Cebu when the accident happened.
The motorboat wasn’t registered with the Marina and thus isn’t allowed to transport passengers.
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said Camotes Island is difficult to reach and advised tourists to ride passenger ferries rather than motorized bancas for safety./With Apple Mae Ta-as and Melissa Q. Cabahug
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