7 fishermen missing

SUBIC, Zambales – Seven fishermen from this town have been reported missing since Christmas eve after they ventured out to the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, Northern Luzon command chief, said yesterday that airborne rescue attempts to locate the missing fishermen in the area have failed due to strong winds and rough seas.

Relatives have expressed fears that the fishermen might have ventured too far into the shoal — which territory is under dispute with China — located 200 miles off the coast of this town.

Severo Ytec, manager of the missing 49-foot long fishing boat, said the seven fishermen left Subic on Dec. 24 to catch yellow fin tuna, locally known as "tambakol," in Scarborough Shoal.

He identified the missing fishermen as Aldrino Gutamura, 25; Raffy Dimatio, 24; Claudio Fajardo, 22; Meximo Moreno, 23; Rolando Padon, 27; Edmund Oribia, 25, and Julius Basan, operator of the fishing boat.

Ytec said the fishermen were expected to return on Christmas Day. "If their motor conked out and they were marooned on one of the shoals, they must be very hungry by now," he said.

Ytec pointed out that one of the missing fishermen, Basan, was scheduled to get married on Jan. 18.

Basan’s fiancee, Juvy, and his relatives became worried and sought the help of the Philippine Coast Guard last Jan. 1 to locate the missing fishermen, he said. – Ding Cervantes