DAGUPAN CITY — Only six of the 13 missing Pangasinan fishermen have yet to be accounted for after a commercial ship rescued seven of them on Saturday in the waters off Ilocos Norte province, the Philippine Information Agency said on Sunday.
Lt. Archie Adanza of the Philippine Navy’s Naval Task Force-40 (NTF40) said a Navy aerial search team saw the fishermen waving at them at 73 nautical miles (135 km) west of Currimao town in Ilocos Norte at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The aerial team then alerted a nearby commercial vessel MV Kavalaseas and asked the crew to rescue the fishermen, said Adanza.
Rescued were Ronnie Boy Maratas 23; Rowel Bagor, 38; Joey Barrientos 41; Ricardo Cas, 23; Jose Ronnie, Bagor 44; Nickson Bagor, 18; and Edmar Espira, 26, all from Bolinao, Pangasinan.
They are crew members of the fishing boat FB Double J, which has been at sea for at least nine days after it encountered rough waters when Tropical Storm “Kabayan” crossed the West Philippine Sea on Oct. 2.
Citing the report of crew members of the MV Kavalaseas, Adanza said the boat was damaged and was unable to travel ashore. He said the fishermen were able to talk and were responsive to the crew members after they were rescued.
Capt. Albert Mogol, NTF40 commander, said one of the rescued fishermen was weak and had to be carried through a stretcher when they arrived at Poro Point in San Fernando City in La Union at 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
The fishing boat’s captain, Jose Ronnie Bagor, said they survived for nine days by eating sea grasses, small fish and ingesting sugar, which they salvaged from their wrecked boat.
“We drank a cup of sea water to soothe our dry throats,” Bagor said. He said they went fishing on Sept. 29 and met rough seas on Oct. 2.
Based on a list of the Pangasinan provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, the seven rescued fishermen were among the 96 Bolinao fishermen who sailed to the West Philippine Sea before Kabayan hit.
The six fishermen who remained missing are Brandon Nebre, Orly Correa, Rex Cabanilla, Jimmy Advincula and Ricky Cabotaje of Agno town, who were aboard FB Triple N, and Conseso Penaranda of Dasol town, who was a crew member of FB Flores.
On Thursday, seven fishermen earlier rescued and taken to Tokyo, Japan by a passing ship arrived in their villages.
Bolinao Mayor Arnold Celeste said the fishermen were rescued by an Indian cargo ship as it sailed to Tokyo through the international navigational lane in the West Philippine Sea on Oct. 2.
He said the fishermen’s boat, FB Queen Mitch, was battered by strong waves as Kabayan left Luzon through the western seaboard that day.