5 fishermen from Aklan saved after 2 days at sea

ILOILO CITY—Five fishermen on board a motorboat that went missing in Antique since Sunday were rescued off Palawan on Wednesday, according to the Coast Guard.

The fishermen, all residents of Buruanga town in Aklan, were rescued around 6 p.m. on Wednesday off the town of Linapacan in Palawan, said

Lt. Jimmy Oliver Vingno, commander of the Coast Guard station in Caticlan, Aklan.

“Their families have informed us that they are well,” Vingno said.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Western Visayas identified the rescued fishermen as: boat captain Manuel Barrientos, 53; Luis Sanchez, 47; Richie Salibio, 28; Alfie Morales, 27; and Rodolfo Relona, 60.

The fishermen left Buruanga on Sunday on board the motorboat “Nene Lalet” but failed to return the next day. The crew managed to call their families that their boat had engine trouble, and they were adrift between Sibay Island in Caluya town and Maningning Islands in Culasi town in Antique.

Vingno said contact with the fishermen was lost on Monday afternoon. The Coast Guard station in Coron, Palawan, conducted search operations and issued an alert to fishermen in the area.

The local government provided food and lodging to the fishermen, according to the OCD report.