‘They were screaming for help’

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Patrick Perales had hoped to buy a farm so that Eden, his wife of 10 years, would no longer have to work overseas.

Eden worked as a teacher in Abu Dhabi while Patrick stayed in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

The couple and Eden’s colleagues from the Abu Dhabi school were on a long-planned tour around the Visayas and Mindanao. But before they could complete the Visayas leg of their trip, tragedy struck.

Eden was among the 28 fatalities after three pumpboats capsized at  the Iloilo Strait on Aug. 3.

Two of their companions, Andrew Valenzuela and Jaquelyn Alferez, both 39, also died.

Perales recounted they had been lining up to catch a boat from Buenavista wharf to Iloilo City. The group arrived Guimaras on Friday and planned to do some island hopping.

“Weather was bad, that’s why we just went to Guisi lighthouse (in Iloilo) and decided to go on to our next destination,” he said.

They were supposed to go to Bacolod City to complete their Visayas tour before going to Mindanao.

Because two pumpboats capsized noon of Saturday, sea travel between Guimaras and Iloilo City was temporarily suspended.

“Skies cleared and it was sunny so I saw other passengers racing towards the ticket booth,” he said.

Perales secured tickets for a pumpboat, but as they boarded, the skies became cloudy. Strong winds followed shortly after, and their boat capsized.

He was thrown from the boat and tried to look for his wife. Passengers were trapped under the overturned boat and were screaming. “They were still alive. They were knocking to call for help,” he recalled.

Perales helped Coast Guard personnel and rescuers pull passengers out of the boat. “We were able to lift five people,” he said.

A Coast Guard personnel had an ax and mallet that were enough to make a big hole. “There were apprehensions on making openings in the boat as it may sink totally,” he said.

Patricks asked for a dive tank so he could go under and cut the latch of the tarpaulin but no tanks were available.

He dived anyway and rescued a woman, who he claimed was wearing a lifejacket. He tried to free others but they were kicking him.

Perales said he was also running out of breath and had ingested too much seawater.

As rescuers pulled other survivors, he pleaded for them to save his wife next.

“My wife, please. Get her next… Ang asawa ko naman please, ang asawa ko naman,” he said, teary-eyed.

At that time, they were told to board a rescue boat while women and elderly boarded a Coast Guard vessel. He was brought to St. Paul’s Hospital in Iloilo City.

“I was still hoping that my wife made it out alive,” he said.

After he was discharged, he looked for his wife in hospitals, hoping that she was rescued. He was brought to Dumangas District Hospital after 11 bodies were found inside a boat that went adrift in Dumangas town.

“They weren’t rescued by the Coast Guard that stayed behind. I could still hear them screaming for help,” he said.

Perales has set aside all his plans. “I just want to bring my wife back to Palawan,” he said.