Kin still hopeful missing Subic fishers will find way home

STILL SEARCHING FB Reincris arrives in Barangay Calapandayan in Subic, Zambales, on Monday without the four crew members who are still the subject of an extensive search by the Philippine Coast Guard. —Joanna Rose Aglibot

SUBIC, ZAMBALES, Philippines — Clutching his weathered hands tightly, 55-year-old fisherman Renato Celistra this week faced their town mates and announced that he and his crew had returned without finding their missing companions.

“We tried, but we couldn’t find them,” said Celistra, the skipper and owner of FB Reincris, as soon as they reached Barangay Calapandayan here on Monday after six days at sea.

Along with his eight crew members, Celistra had combed the waters of the West Philippine Sea (WPS), desperately searching for their four companions who went missing on Nov. 27 near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc to locals.

READ: 4 Subic fishers go missing near Scarborough Shoal

The missing fishermen—brothers Richard and Reymond Recalde, along with Daniel Sabido and Anthony Tadeo—had ventured out of the “mother vessel” in small motorized boats to fish using the traditional hook-and-line method, locally known as “nangawil.”

What should have been a routine three-hour trip turned tragic when strong waves prevented their return.

‘Sign’

Before returning home, Tadeo’s older brother Robert, 42, discovered his sibling’s watch tied to a “payao” (artificial fish shelter) near the shoal.

“It’s like a sign to tell us he’s alive and will come back,” said Robert.

The families of the missing fishermen said they remained hopeful that their loved ones managed to enter Panatag Shoal’s lagoon to escape the waves.

They have been calling on authorities to intervene and conduct rescue operations within the shoal.

According to Celistra, the incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea, where territorial disputes and harassment persist.

He described the area near Panatag as increasingly perilous for Filipino fisherfolk, with Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and militia vessels aggressively patrolling and preventing access to the lagoon, a traditional refuge during storms.

“That wouldn’t have happened if we could freely enter the lagoon,” said Celistra in Filipino.

“Even with strong waves, they would’ve had somewhere safe to go,” he added.

Harassment

Celistra recounted being harassed by CCG vessels, including Chinese navy and coast guard ships, even at a distance of 92 kilometers (50 nautical miles) from the shoal on Nov. 26.

“They surrounded us, but we did not see any of our PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) vessels,” he said, expressing frustration over the lack of visible support from Philippine authorities.

But Cmdr. Euphraim Jayson Diciano, chief of the PCG station in Zambales, told the fisherfolk and the relatives of the missing that his office had already notified other PCG units to help in the search and rescue in case of a sighting in their areas.

In September, PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela urged fisherfolk in Zambales to continue fishing in the West Philippine Sea, stressing the Philippines’ sovereign rights.

Tarriela acknowledged limited PCG resources but assured local fisherfolk of strategic vessel deployments.

But Celistra and his crew lamented the absence of PCG assistance, even during their recent search for their companions.