Harrowing experience: 7 fishers saved after 2 days adrift off Palawan
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Fisherman Roque Luhan, 40, was close to giving up any chance of survival after two days of floating in the waters off Palawan province, just hours before he and his six companions were rescued on Friday by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Luhan, interviewed aboard the BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) shortly after they were rescued, said they were somewhere between Cambari Island and the main island of Araceli town when they encountered strong winds and high waves last Wednesday, causing their boat to capsize.
The fishers were found by a search and rescue team at 12:15 p.m. on Friday in an area 7.6 nautical miles from Verde Island in Roxas town. For days, they clung to the floating bottom part of the boat without food and water for sustenance.
Luhan and his fellow fishers—boat captain Janjan Paalan, Jacky Paalan, Alfredo Abad, Roberto Bacolod, Alvin Edar and Thomas Vigonte—were on their way to Araceli when their fishing boat capsized.
Large waves
“We were around 9 miles from Calandagan Island and about 12 miles away from Araceli when the boat’s engine suddenly went dead. We did not realize that the boat had already gone against the direction of the wind,” Luhan said.
When the boat capsized, Luhan said they decided to stay together and hold on to the boat, as it would be “easier for us to survive and be found, than if we swim away.”
Luhan said they did not see any large fishing boat around because a fishing ban is still in effect in Palawan waters. An administrative order of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources banned the catching of “galunggong” (round scad) in the area from November to February.Luhan said they saw smaller boats but the occupants did not see them because they were too far and they were concealed by big waves.
Except for one mobile phone, they were unable to save any of their belongings when their boat capsized, Luhan added.
“We just told ourselves to keep clinging to the boat, conserve our strength by not moving too much and pray to God to send someone to save us,” he narrated in Tagalog.
Spotted
Luhan said Janjan, who held the cellphone, was already severely weakened by the passing hours and had a hard time getting back at his place in the capsized boat every time a wave would hit him. But before all hope was lost, the fishers, initially declared as missing, were spotted by a rescue team composed of BRP Melchora Aquino from PCG-Palawan, a helicopter from the Tactical Operations Wing West dispatched by the Armed Forces’ Western Command, an Agusta Westland 109 chopper and BRP Felix Apolinario of the Philippine Navy.
The group were then brought on board by BRP Melchora Aquino, which arrived in Puerto Princesa past 5 p.m. on Friday.
As of Saturday, the rescued fishers were being cared for by the Palawan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, except for Janjan who was taken to a hospital for medical attention.
Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office head Abigail Ablaña said the provincial government has prepared all necessary assistance for the survivors’ immediate needs.
