MANILA -- Philippine Coast Guard rescuers headed for Cresta de Gallo Island, south of Sibuyan Island, as of Sunday afternoon to verify reports that survivors from the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars had washed up there, the PCG Commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said.
"They will also be scouring the other coastal areas to check for the passengers," Tamayo said. "I hope and I pray that many are alright."
PCG spokesperson, Lieutenant Armand Balilo, said the Coast Guard considered the passengers "unaccounted for" at the moment.
More than 700 passengers of the MV Princess of Stars were "unaccounted for" after it experienced engine trouble and capsized off Barangay Taclobo, Sibuyan Island in Romblon at the height of typhoon Frank.
Rescuers from the Philippine Coast Guard who were able to reach the area past noon on Sunday failed to see any survivors or bodies around the upturned ship, or even any life jackets or other flotation devices.
When asked, Tamayo said it was possible that people were trapped inside the ship.
The PCG also dispatched to Romblon a team of special operatives, which would include divers and mountaineer Dr. Ted Esguerra, to penetrate the ship and look for people inside, Tamayo added. Esguerra was among those who were part of the support team for the PCG personnel who were also the first Filipino men and women to scale Mt. Everest.
Balilo said it would not be easy to move around the interiors of the ship considering that it had gone "belly up."
"They would probably need to rapel in certain areas," he added.
Sulpicio Lines has also dispatched a sister ship, the MV Cebu Princess, to fetch the survivors from the ill-fated MV Princess of Stars, according to Tamayo.
The PCG, however, was unable to deploy its aircraft to Romblon on Sunday because of the bad weather.
The 23,000-ton ship of the Sulpicio Lines, which had a capacity of 1,992 passengers, left Manila for Cebu at 8 p.m. on Friday.
It was carrying 626 passengers and 121 crew members on board and was expected to arrive at Cebu at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
But at 12:55 p.m. on Saturday, it sent word to the Suplicio Lines that it was experiencing engine trouble, which forced the ship to slow down off Sibuyan Island, Romblon.
Balilo suspected that because of the engine trouble, the worsening weather caught up with the ship and left it to the mercy of the rough seas.
He also explained that when the MV Princess of Stars left Manila on Friday, there was no storm signal that would prevent the ship from sailing. According to him, vessels as big as the MV Princess of Stars are only prevented from leaving port when the storm signal number 3 is raised.
He theorized that if the ship had had no problem with the engine, it could have reached Cebu before the weather worsened, or it could at least have sought shelter.
Tamayo also said he had formed a Special Board of Marine Inquiry, headed by Vice Commandant Ramon Liwag, to investigate the sea tragedy.
Meanwhile, despite the heavy downpour hitting Metro Manila, relatives of the MV Princess of Stars passengers trooped to the PCG office in Manila to check if there was any word from their loved ones.
Jennalyn Alcazar pleaded for information about her 71-year-old mother-in-law Erlinda Alcazar, who left aboard the ill-fated ship on Friday.
Jennalyn told the Philippine Daily Inquirer over the phone that Erlinda was a frequent traveler to Cebu because she worked for an agency that helped people from Cebu find work in Manila. Erlinda considered her job a "hobby" and did not want to stop working.
She said the family has been trying to get in touch with Erlinda since Saturday, but her cellphone has been turned off.
"We don't know what to do. Please help us," Jennalyn said.
The PCG, while fielding inquiries and assisting frantic relatives, also had to contend with the power blackout that hit the office Sunday morning.
PCG personnel could not print reports or send fax messages, and the officials conducted most of their business over landline phones and cell phones.
