16 of 25 missing fishermen in Pangasinan return home

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan-–At least 16 of 25 fishermen reported missing as Typhoon “Labuyo” battered northern Luzon have returned home in western Pangasinan province.

Six of these fishermen, all of them from Bolinao town, reached the shores of San Fernando City in La Union on Tuesday, the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council (PDRRMC) said.

On Monday night, PDRRMC executive director Fernando de Guzman said 10 fishermen from the town of Infanta in Pangasinan had returned home. This group left the town on Aug. 8.

The fishermen’s relatives reported them missing after losing contact with them as the typhoon crossed northern Luzon and induced huge waves on the northwestern Luzon seaboard.

“That leaves us only nine missing fishermen from Infanta,” De Guzman said. The nine fishermen left Infanta last Aug. 5.

Bolinao town administrator Fred Castelo said the six fishermen from his town sailed to the West Philippine Sea to fish on Aug. 9. They were expected to return on Sunday night.

“I was told that on their way home, they encountered huge waves, breaking the outrigger of their motorboat,” Castelo said.

He also clarified that there were only six fishermen from his town who were reported missing, not 11, as the PDRRMC had reported. “Now, we have them all back,” Castelo said.

Senior Insp. Ronnie Maramba, Infanta police chief, said the 10 fishermen reached Barangay (village) Cato in Infanta at about 7 p.m. Monday.

Maramba said the fishermen were on their boat marked “Super Boy” when they were seen by the Philippine Coast Guard approaching the shore on Monday night.