GRIEF GRIPS PILAR

Shattered parts of the MB Kim Nirvana-B are towed to Ormoc City after the boat capsized in big waves less than a kilometer from the pier on July 1.(FB POST/RYAN CHRISTOPHER SOROTE)

The small town of Pilar in Camotes Island is in mourning.

Big waves prevented rescue workers from bringing  home the remains of at least 30 fatalities from Pilar who rode the  motorboat Kim Nirvana-B which capsized a few meters from the Ormoc City port on Thursday.

The death toll reached  42 persons yesterday.

Rescuers said 141 survived and five remain missing.

Mayor Jesus Fernandez Jr. ordered the flag to be flown at half-staff in Pilar,  where a state of calamity was declared by the town council.

“Hangin-hangin, dagkong bawd diri. Depressing kaayo. Tanan naguol. Kon dili mga paryente ang nangamatay, mga higala (It’s windy and the waves are big here. It’s very depressing. Everybody is grieving. We lost relatives and friends),” Fernandez said.

His cousin Bontillo Galano, Jr., who was also his secretary, was among those who perished.

A gale warning was still hoisted yesterday, limiting sea travel.

At least 10 bodies have not been identified because  relatives from Camotes were not allowed to sail for Ormoc.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya has  agreed to let Navy and Coast Guard vessels transport the bodies and survivors transported back to Pilar once the gale warning is lifted, said Cebu provincial disaster officer Baltazar Tribunalo Jr.

Secretary Abaya arrived in Ormoc yesterday to oversee the search and rescue operation.

The Pilar municipal council said the family of each fatality will receive P10,000 cash assistance. Survivors will also receive aid but the amount was not fixed.

Mayor Fernandez said the town would shoulder all expenses in bringing back the survivors and the remains of the fatalities. He instructed barangay captains to prepare for their arrival.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said the province will shoulder all hospital expenses of the survivors.

A team of social workers from Cebu were stranded in Tudela town in Camotes island. They were supposed to conduct stress debriefing among the survivors.

Mayor Fernandez said he and 10 municipal health and social welfare workers also wanted to sail for Ormoc yesterday, but couldn’t leave because the Cebu Coast Guard would not clear sea voyages due to the gale warning.

Search and rescue efforts continued despite big waves churned by the southeast monsoon (habagat) and tropical storm Egay.

Teams from the Philippine Coast Guard, PAF, and Philippine Navy and rescue groups from Cebu, Ormoc and Tacloban were also at the scene.

READ: Why no life vests for the passengers | Human error and overloading may be behind mishap | SUDDEN TRAGEDY

Cebu Coast Guard station commander Weniel Azcuna said they sent rescue vessel BRP Batangas to Ormoc to help. The vessel carried 35 rescue swimmers, 5 technical divers and 3 medical personnel.

A six-man team from the Capitol flew to Ormoc on a Philippine Air Force chopper yesterday morning to conduct rapid assessment and help in the search and rescue efforts. The team led by Baltazar Tribunalo, head of the provincial disaster management office, returned yesterday afternoon.

Tribunalo said three bodies floating near the capsized boat were recovered yesterday morning.