Boracay’s emergency response gets boost after boat accident

ILOILO CITY—Boracay residents and dragon boat paddlers lit candles along the beach on Thursday as they mourned the death of seven paddlers in the worst sea accident on the popular resort island in recent memory.

Other residents changed their Facebook profile photos with a black logo with a small dragon boat symbol. Paddlers from all over the world sent messages of sympathy, prayers and support.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said the island’s emergency response programs would be strengthened to avoid a repeat of the accident that killed seven members of Boracay’s dragon boat team on Wednesday morning. The team members, who were training for a race set for November in Taiwan, died after their boat capsized when it was hit by a squall while they were transferring from Bulabog beach at the eastern side of the island to the “white beach” at the western side. Fourteen others were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Thursday said that the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) would work with local governments involved to extend assistance to the victims’ families and survivors.

“[The BIATF field office] will work on a comprehensive emergency response program … [This] will consider the provision of necessary protocols, logistics and resources for an effective emergency rescue and response in the island,” Cimatu, chair of the task force formed last year to oversee the rehabilitation of Boracay, said in a statement.

Fund drive

An online fund drive at gofundme.com to support the families of those who died raised $2,380 (P124,165.28) as of 3:23 p.m. on Thursday, 18 hours after it was initiated.

“The whole community is mourning. We are comforted by the messages we have received from dragon boat teams from across the world, many who have raced with us and others who we have never met but who share the same passion for the sport and understand the family which is built within a dragon boat team,” according to a statement of the Boracay Dragon Force team.

Among those who died were couple Johann and Maricel Tan who left behind a son.

“[All of our late colleagues] were kindhearted, generous and compassionate people who were so passionate about the sport,” said team member Amanda Virrey.

Boracay Dragon Force is one of nine dragon boat teams on the island and is considered among the strongest and elite groups. It regularly competes in international races.

Elena Brugger, also a paddler, said while they belonged to different teams, they were all close. “We train and compete together and we have built a strong camaraderie,” she said. —REPORTS FROM NESTOR P. BURGOS JR. AND JHESSET O. ENANO