Captain of sunken Commando 6 surrenders

PUERTO GALERA, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines  – The captain of the motorboat that capsized off Batangas last May 23 surrendered here yesterday and apologized for the mishap that resulted in the death of 12 passengers.

“I’m sorry” were the first words that Manolito Anilao, the skipper of the ill-fated M/B Commando 6, uttered when The STAR interviewed him at the Puerto Galera police station.

“Ako’y nagpapakumbaba sa mga nabiktima dahil hindi ko naman kagustuhan ang nangyari (I beg the forgiveness of the victims. I did not want this to happen),” he said.

Anilao went into hiding for more than a month after the Commando 6 capsized near Malahibomanok Island near Batangas last May 23.

He said he decided to surrender to Arnie Santiago of the Maritime Industry Authority last July 4 and requested that he be placed under the custody of Puerto Galera Mayor Hubert Dolor.

“I cannot sleep, I was thinking of the relatives of the victims,” said Anilao.

Anilao said he was convinced by his wife Leonita to surrender to authorities because “I cannot hide anymore and nobody will take care of my family.” 

He said that he initially decided to go into hiding because he was afraid of what the families of the victims would do. But after a while, he decided to surrender but the owners of the shipping lines stopped him.

Anilao said his manager in the shipping firm told him to hide until the company lawyer gave him the go signal to come out.

Asked what was the reaction of his manager upon learning of his surrender, he said the manager got angry and instructed him to meet in one place in Puerto Galera, but “I did not agree and I told him that they just meet at the police station.”

Puerto Galera police chief Superintendent James Brillantes said Anilao will be placed under the witness protection program during the investigation.

Captain Tranquilino Paiton, head of the Philippine Coast Guard Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI), had earlier summoned Anilao and Renato Ilagan, owner of the boat, to shed light on the sinking of M/B Commando 6.

“The purpose of the SBMI is to determine the cause of the accident and determine the liability of the owner and its officers,” he said. 

The SBMI had conducted hearings after the incident and will just have to add the statements of Anilao for its final decision.

The board already has the preliminary statements of the survivors, Paiton said.

The four other members of the SBMI are Marina Enforcement Office chief Arnie Santiago, vice chairman; and Capt. Edwin Mestable, Capt. Gilbert Deligerio, and Lt. Nhea Victoria Sulit.

PCG District commander Commodore Cecil Chen said the vessel’s capacity was 42 passengers plus five crewmembers, or a total of 47, but the actual number of passengers on board was 62 plus five crewmembers or a total of 67.

The fatalities were identified as Franco Eugenio, 3 ; Anton Cruz, 2, both of White Plains, Quezon City ; Gregonia Pabliko, 58 and Albino Pabliko, 55 of Sta Cruz, Manila ; Beta Bardin, 2 of Sta Mesa; Melanie Bardin, 30 ;Desiree Teodoro, 20 of Taytay, Rizal; Joana Perez, 25 of Batangas; Nina Ricci Cads of Rizal ; Daisy Eugenio of Quezon City, Hosotani Shoji, a Japanese tourist, and a certain yaya Tess.

The Commando 6 left the Sta. Clara, Batangas port at around 11 a.m. bound for White Beach in Puerto Galera when the vessel was hit by big waves and the boat capsized off Batangas.