250 passengers rescued as ship conks out

CEBU, Philippines - Some 250 passengers and crew were stuck for an hour in the seawaters between Danao City and Camotes Islands after the engine of the sea vessel they were traveling on conked out.

Heavy rains also caused floods in some low-lying areas of Cebu City and province, prompting the disaster councils to order the evacuation of residents in high-risk communities.

The Super Shuttle Ferry 17 left Danao Pier about 6:30 in the morning yesterday for Consuelo, Camotes but its engine failed about 9:00 a.m. 

Danao police investigator PO2 Marlon Remollo said they received a telephone call from someone asking for assistance as they were stranded in the seawaters.

The ship was commanded by Capt. Dante Maglangit, First Mate Guarin and Chief Engineer Juanito Barriga.

Maglangit said the main engine suddenly failed because of the rough weather so they called the Danao City Police.

Remollo said that a fishing vessel, MV Leuneda, assisted in pulling the ferry to the pier. The Danao Rescue Unit headed by Councilors Roland Reyes and Marilou Camaongay helped the passengers to be transferred to safety.

The personnel of the Super Shuttle Ferry refused to give an official statement when sought for comment.

Cebu Port Authority- Danao City’s Orlando Estrella told The Freeman that all passengers were safe and cargoes were intact while heading back to the pier.

The incident was considered as a minor problem.

Estrella said that some of the passengers went home while others continued to travel despite the bad weather onboard RJR pump boat.

“Ang uban nilarga gyud kay taga Camotes man gyud to sila,” he said.

Meanwhile, 10 houses near a river in barangay Sta. Cruz, Ronda were hit by floods at about 8 a.m. Monday. Damages were pegged at P200,000. Luckily, no one was hurt.

According to Ronda investigator PO2 Emerito Sansan, heavy rains caused the river to swell. They advised everyone in vulnerable areas to evacuate.

The Office of the Civil Defense 7, meanwhile, said the province did not receive report of any landslide although flashfloods were reported in some area.

Engineer Ver Neil Balaba, administrative officer of OCD-7, said the floodwaters were shallow and no one was reported injured or killed.

In Cebu, the municipalities of Carcar and Danao were the ones only reported to OCD to have cases due to the recent heavy rains.

Around 8:30 am last Monday, a flooding occurred at Barangays Poblacion II and III in Carcar. An estimated 50 families were affected but only minor damages were reported and the water level was below the knee deep only. There were no reported evacuees.

A drowning incident also occurred in Barangay Poblacion II that same day when one Sherwin Tañada jumped into the murky waters. He has yet to be found.

In the municipality of Enrique Villanueva in Siquijor, 21 diarrhea patients were reported as of yesterday due to contaminated water source. Fortunately, the water source was already fixed.

The hydro dams in Barangays Ewon and Hanopol in Sevilla, Bohol also released water after getting full due to continuous rains.            

In Sitio Ipil-Ipil, Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City, CCDCC Executive Director Alvin Santillan has recommended that houses near the riverbanks will be relocated.

Capitol Site barangay captain Manuel Guanzon said the residents were already informed of the risks of living in the area.

Mayor Michael Rama said the city has been monitoring the continuous downpour. He said cooperation is necessary to avert deaths or serious injuries in times of natural calamities.

The barangay officials in Carreta and Tejero, in a joint resolution, asked the Cebu City Council through Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, to widen the open canal of Sitios Laurente in Tejero.

This small canal of Sitio Laurente can no longer accommodate all the water from the big concrete canal of Sitio Ponce 2 in Barangay Carreta so water overflows. – (FREEMAN)