Passengers of missing boat held by pirates?

SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro — A Coast Guard official expressed suspicion that pirates could have snatched the eight passengers and three crewmen of a pumpboat which went missing while en route to Palawan last March 31.

Commander Rufino Velasco, the Coast Guard station head here, said the pirates could be holding the 11 somewhere between Mindoro and Palawan.

Velasco said the pumpboat, M/B Fatima, left the San Jose port at about 4:30 a.m. last March 31 but failed to arrive in Palawan.

"We have been scouring the whole area for almost two weeks now but we could not find any traces of them," Velasco told The STAR.

"We also alerted all commercial shipping companies sailing in these areas to report any sightings, but (there was nothing)," he added.

"Kung lumubog man sila, siguradong may lulutang sa dagat kahit debris ng boat o katawan ng biktima, pero hanggang ngayon wala (Had the pumpboat sank, something would float in the water like debris from the boat or a body, but until now there is nothing)," Velasco said. — Arnell Ozaeta