Philippine Coast Guard logo over a photo of PCG members on a rubber boat. INQUIRER FILES
LUCENA CITY – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday, November 26, reported that five fishermen from Quezon and Oriental Mindoro provinces are allegedly missing.
The PCG-District Southern Tagalog (PCG-DST) said their personnel in Quezon province have initiated a search and rescue operation for Reneboy Alva and Jovinal Gamitin, both residents of Barangay (village) Caridad Ilaya in Atimonan.
The report said the two fishermen aboard an unregistered boat had been missing since midnight of Friday, November 24, while fishing in the vicinity of the island town of Jomalig off the Pacific Ocean.
The PCG-DST also reported that fisherman Sanny Frias had also been missing since Saturday, November 25, while fishing in another part of the coastal town of Pinamalayan in Oriental Mindoro.
However, the unmanned fishing boat that Frias owned was discovered by fellow fishermen around 8 p.m. some 6 to 7 nautical miles from the shoreline of Barangay Lumambayan.
In Gloria town, also in Oriental Mindoro, fisherman Joseph Jalos has also been the subject of search and rescue operation after he did not return home Friday after sailing off to fish in the waters off Barangay Tambong.
On November 18, fisherman Ritzie Yap also failed to return home while on a fishing expedition in Roxas town.
The search operations to locate the missing fishers were suspended due to adverse weather and sea conditions.
The PCG personnel have been conducting coastal and shore patrols in northern Quezon and Oriental Mindoro in search of the five fishers.
The authorities have also advised local fisherfolks and coastal residents to be on the lookout for the missing fishermen and to immediately report to the authorities once they are found.
READ: PCG searches for missing 4 fishermen off Pangasinan
On November 14, fisherman Willie Miranda, was also reported missing in the waters off Polillo Island in northern Quezon.
However, he was found alive on Cagbalete island in Mauban town after two days.
He reported that his fishing boat had engine trouble due to strong waves after it left Patnanungan off the Pacific Ocean.
The fisherman failed to fix the boat and just let it drift before paddling his way to reach Cagbalete island where his sister resides.#