Missing persons rescued

CEBU, Philippines - Five people who were reported missing after their boat capsized in the waters between Camotes Island and Danao City Friday night were found alive.

Commander Rodolfo Villajuan of the Cebu Coast Guard Station said Julius Perilla, 30; Stimson Zoilo Sr., 50; Jimson Zoilo, 22 and Arron Zoilo, 19, all from San Francisco, Camotes and crew of the vessel; and Korean No Geol Ga, 25, were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) detachment in Camotes Island.

SN2 Jomar Veloso told The FREEmaN that the victims were holding on to the capsized boat when found away from where the incident happened.

"Gigamit nila nga abayan ang banca pag na-rescue sila (They held on to the boat while awaiting rescue," Veloso said in a telephone interview.

He said the victims were taken to the Danao City Provincial Hospital for medical checkup by PCG vessel 5002.

Despite the typhoon, the victims took the risk by leaving Camotes Island for mainland Cebu Friday night because the Koreans wanted to catch their flight.

Three Koreans, Kion No Ga, 55; his wife Kyuogae Lee, 52; and their son In Geol Ga, 27, who were separated from the group after their boat keeled over, were earlier rescued by local fishermen after the incident.

While the Koreans and the boat's crew survived their ordeal, five others, including two minors, died because of tropical storm Basyang.

Danny Tundag, 24, of Daanbantayan, Cebu, was already dead when found under a capsized M/B Ave Maria 5.  He was initially reported missing after the motorized banca rolled over due to big waves in the waters off Barangay Eastern Poblacion, Poro, Camotes Island.

 Tundag was with nine other crew members heading for San Francisco, Camotes Island around 9 p.m. last Friday when strong winds and big waves caused M/B Ave Maria 5 to capsize.

Tundag was thought to have been carried away, until his body was found under the overturned boat Saturday morning. His companions were all safe.

M/B Ave Maria 5 was not carrying passengers that time as all trips were cancelled after storm warning signal no. 2 was hoisted in Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas that day.

Commodore William Melad, PCG Central Visayas chief, had said the vessel, which usually plies the Poro, Camotes Island-Cebu City route, left Poro for the neighboring town of San Francisco, Camotes Island at 9 p.m. supposedly to transfer berth.

In Poblacion, Compostela town, five-year-old Vincent Jaime died after he got electrocuted while walking with his friends yesterday afternoon.

SPO2 Pedro Enriquez, Compostela Police Station desk officer, said the boy accidentally stepped on a live wire of the Cebu Electric Cooperative (Cebeco).

Jaime was rushed to the Danao City Provincial Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

Enriquez said the wire got detached from an electricity post at the height of tropical storm Basyang Friday but was still on the ground while power was already restored.

"Wala siguro maayo dayon kay daghan pa og gi-ayo sad tingali unya wala mabantayi sa mga bata (Maybe Cebeco was not able to attend to the wire because it had to make lots of repairs, and the children failed to notice the wire," Enriquez said in a phone interview.

As of press time, it is not yet known if Jaime's family is pressing charges against the power distributor.

Jose Babatid, 22, of Barangay Baliwagan, Balamban town also died of electrocution while wading through their flooded neighborhood on his way home Friday dawn.

The police said Babatid did not know that an electrical post he held on to was grounded.

In Sitio Cambigong, Samboan town, Allan Degino, 14, died while on his way to a Cebu City hospital after he suffered injuries due to a landslide Saturday morning.

PO2 Ressel Jabagat of Samboan Police Station said Allan and his brothers Laurence, 9; Ronald, 16; and Ariel, 12, were reportedly getting grass for their livestock Saturday morning when Allan insisted to go down a ravine.

"Iyang mga igsuon didto ra sa unahan siya maoy nipugos ug adto gyud sa pangpang kay tua may daghang kumpay ngadto (His sibling just gathered grass for fodder a few distance away, but Allan insisted on going down the ravine because grass was greener there)," Jabagat said, in a phone interview.

Allan was gathering grass when a landslide took place, the debris covering him from the waist down. Trapped, he could not dodge when stones rolled down and hit him.

His brothers who tried to help him also had minor injuries. 

Responding policemen brought Allan to the Malabuyoc District Hospital for medical treatment.  Due to his serious injuries, he was rushed to Cebu City for further treatment but he died along the way.

Yesterday morning, a lifeless Anthony Collarte, 63, was found floating in the waters of Sitio Panitugan, Barangay Sulangan, Daanbantayan after going missing Saturday.

Authorities said his family warned Collarte, who gathers sand for a living, not to go out due to the bad weather, but he insisted in going to the shore. He did not return home, and was found dead at 10:45 a.m. yesterday.

Based on National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reports, Basyang affected 9,105 families, or 42,413 persons, in 176 barangays in 38 municipalities and seven cities in nine provinces of regions 6, 7, 8 and Caraga region.

Basyang also destroyed seven houses and damaged 81 more in regions 6, 7 and Caraga.

Because sea-going vessels were not allowed to sail, 5,897 passengers of 16 vessels, 576 rolling cargo vessels, and two motorized bancas were stranded as of Saturday evening in the ports of Manila, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Bacolod, Caticlan, Batangas, Romblon, and Calapan.-/RHM  (FREEMAN)