Probe of Iloilo sea mishap starts

SEA RESCUE Rescuers and volunteers check the wreckage of one of the three boats that capsized on Saturday in the waters between Iloilo and Guimaras provinces. At least 28 passengers and crewmen died in the accidents. —PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIPPINE RED CROSS VIA AP

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — Officials and personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard in Western Visayas are facing an investigation after three motorboats capsized due to strong waves produced by a squall on Iloilo Strait off Iloilo and Guimaras provinces on Saturday.

The death toll from the accidents had reached 28 on Monday.

Cmdr. Allan Victor dela Vega, Coast Guard Western Visayas District commander, said the earlier figure of 31 fatalities he issued on Sunday was wrong.

Reports from Manila cited Dela Vega’s figure, which contradicted with that issued by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) in Western Visayas that placed the fatalities at 25.

No intent to deceive

“There was no intent to deceive [in issuing out the erroneous data],” Dela Vega said at a press briefing on Monday as he explained the varying reports submitted by the Coast Guard in Guimaras and Iloilo.

Six people were missing as of 2 p.m. on Monday. So far, 52 survivors, including four who were being treated for minor injuries in hospitals in Iloilo City, had been accounted for.

Palace aid

In Manila, Malacañang ordered agencies to provide immediate assistance to the families of the fatalities as well as the survivors.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Office of the President had directed the agencies, including the Coast Guard, the Maritime Industry Authority and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, “to provide immediate assistance to the victims and refine their coordination efforts in safeguarding the security of the public especially during this rainy season.”

He said the Palace also expressed its condolences to the families of the victims.

The body of Romeo Baguio Sr. was recovered on Monday in the waters of Jordan town in Guimaras, according to the OCD and RDRRMC.

Dela Vega said a team sent by the Coast Guard national headquarters was conducting an investigation to determine the causes of the accident and pinpoint weaknesses or errors in the agency’s response.

The motorboats Chi-Chi and Keziah capsized past noon while sailing to Jordan town in Guimaras from Iloilo City. The Jenny Vince sank at 3:30 p.m. while crossing to Iloilo City from Buenavista, Guimaras.

Most fatalities were passengers of the Jenny Vince, with 10 bodies trapped in the capsized boat recovered in Dumangas town, about 28 kilometers northeast of Iloilo where it was carried by strong waves and currents.

Coast Guard assailed

Iloilo and Guimaras residents, through social media posts, criticized the Coast Guard, bewailing what they perceived as a slow and inadequate response of rescuers, especially in saving the trapped passengers.

Dela Vega said rescuers could not see the remaining passengers under the Jenny Vince. They tied the vessel to a tugboat to prevent it from being swept away by strong currents but the rope was cut, he said.

Asked why the Jenny Vince was allowed to travel even after two boats had already capsized, Dela Vega said there was a “gray area” in the protocols on the suspension of travel after a sea accident.

According to him, search and recovery operations will continue until all passengers are recovered. “We are hoping against hope that the missing may have been carried to the coasts or already went home but did not report to [government agencies],” he said.

He said a Navy ship and an Air Force helicopter had been scouring areas in northern Iloilo for the missing. —With a report from Julie M. Aurelio in Manila