Army searches for 2 missing Camarines Norte fishermen

NAGA CITY—Rescue teams from Army units in Bicol were deployed with two Huey helicopters on Saturday to look for fishermen from Camarines Norte who went missing since Wednesday, according to an Army spokesperson.

Melchor de los Reyes, 52, of North Poblacion, Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte, and another fisherman identified only by his nickname “Nonoy” were reported missing after their companion Leonardo de la Cruz, 60, a resident of Parang, also in Jose Panganiban town, was rescued Thursday afternoon, said Capt. Mardjorie Panesa, spokesperson of 9^th infantry division based in Pili, Camarines Sur, on Saturday.

She said De la Cruz narrated that he and his companions went out to fish on board a motorized banca in the vicinity of Pulong Tanza, an islet included in the Calaguas group of islands in Vinzons town, last Wednesday at around 6 p.m.

A huge wave suddenly crashed against the banca and sunk it, Panesa quoted De la Cruz. The fishermen were then carried about by the strong current to different directions.

Dela Cruz was rescued by two fishers—Nestor Baretto and Jericho Jim Solis, both of Barangay Salvacion, Jose Panganiban, while floating unconscious in the sea off the shore of Pulong Bato, an island in their barangay, at around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, she said.

She said a disaster rescue unit from the 49^th infantry battalion was dispatched by its commander Lt. Col. Medel Aguilar aboard the helicopters to aid in the search and rescue operations being done by local police and the local government unit.

She said the helicopters sent out on Saturday morning with Jose Panganiban Mayor Ricarte Padilla to do an aerial search for the fishermen failed to find them.

She said authorities still hoped to find the missing persons alive and just carried by the sea to surrounding islands and islets in Jose Panganiban or Vinzons.