MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Richard Gordon on Saturday urged the government to provide soft loans to 289 fishermen who were recently rescued from the 22 fishing vessels that sank and six others that ran aground in Cadiz city at the height of Typhoon "Frank" on June 21.
Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, was in Cadiz and Victoria cities in Negros Occidental on Wednesday to visit the rescued fishermen and their families.
The vessels had a total fishing crew of 419, but only 289 were rescued, 41 were found dead while 89 are still missing. In Victoria City alone, 10 are reportedly missing until now.
“Typhoon Frank claimed the lives of hundreds of Filipinos at sea. Our fishermen brothers here in Cadiz are among the few who have survived its fury,” Gordon said.
“This calamity has greatly affected their lives. A lot of them have lost their means of livelihood. We must ensure that they are given the proper assistance and support to rise up from this tragedy.”
Gordon said the government should negotiate with the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and other funding agencies to provide loans with easy terms to these fishermen.
He also called on several boats weighing 50 tons and above which were in the area to aid in salvaging the sunken vessels.
“Several brave fishermen died due to Typhoon Frank. Their death brings sorrow to their relatives and friends. I will send teams to conduct post-mortem interviews and to take identifying marks to ensure that the dead bodies will be properly identified and returned to their families,” the senator said.
Gordon said the typhoon was a wake-up call for government to implement measures to prevent further loss of lives.
"We must improve our forecasting equipment, our maritime regulations, and our rescue facilities to ensure that this tragedy never happens again,” he said.
Gordon further asked the government to provide the PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration) and the Philippine Coast Guard with better equipment and facilities.
He said that a special bulletin should be made exclusively for fishermen to provide them with early warning and reduce the risk of maritime disasters on small fishing vessels.
