Superstition leads fishing boat to collide with tanker off South Harbor

MANILA, Philippines—A superstition among local fishermen resulted in a collision between a motorized banca and a motorized tanker off the South Harbor in Manila early Tuesday morning, with the Philippine Navy rescuing 21 fishermen.

A statement from the Philippine Fleet said that the Navy multipurpose attack craft (MPAC) was patrolling Manila Bay when it spotted M/B Lala Boom B in distress with its outrigger broken.

The motor banca was manned by 20 crewmen when it rammed motorized tanker Pullilan with 14 crewmen on board.

M/B Lala Boom B was headed toward fishing grounds while the tanker was heading toward the Pasig Entrance to unload its cargo when the smaller vessel attempted to cross the path of the tanker, the statement said.

According to Lt. Rommel Rodriguez, deputy public information officer of the Philippine Fleet, local fishermen believe that successfully crossing the bow of bigger vessels will bring them “good luck and good catch.”

No one was hurt in the collision, Rodriguez said.

Philippine Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Orwen Cortez commended the quick response of the Navy’s MPAC BA 485 in rescuing the fishermen.

However, Cortez also noted that “local fishermen are the most frequent violators of sea navigational rules, which make them prone to mishaps.”

Cortez appealed to fishermen to refrain from following superstitions that put their lives in danger.