Boat capsizes between Iloilo, Guimaras Strait

CEBU, Philippines – Seven persons were killed while two others went missing after a passenger boat capsized off Iloilo – Guimaras Strait Sunday afternoon, the Philippine Coast Guard-Iloilo confirmed.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Edison Diaz, acting station commander of PCG-Iloilo Station, identified the fatalities as Cora Ganila, 40; siblings Mark Real Matta, 6, and Luke Shile Matta, 10, of La Paz, Iloilo City; Darrly Cristine Vasquez, 15, of San Lorenzo, Guimaras; and Mary Ann Gallego of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras---all passengers of the ill-fated M/V Tawash boat, plying the Iloilo City–Jordan (Guimaras) route.

Diaz said boat engineer Larry Abella, 54, and crew Ruben Gania, 59, both residents of Barangay Rizal, Jordan, Guimaras, were also killed during the incident.

Six of the seven who died were first brought to different hospitals in Iloilo City where they were pronounced dead on arrival. Gallego, on the other hand, died early morning yesterday, Diaz said.

PCG-Iloilo said 32 persons, including boat captain Donald Golatera and crew Randy Zaldivar and Fernando Aniban, were immediately rescued, but search and rescue operations were being conducted for two missing passengers: CJ Gamotea and Shyne Matta, mother of Mark Real and Luke Shile.

Passengers Cherry Beth Silverio and Chris John Cepada meanwhile remained confined at the St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo.

Diaz said the passenger pumpboat, owned by a certain Visitacion Golatera, left at around 4;15 p.m. from the Ortiz Wharf in Iloilo City for Jordan Wharf in Guimaras. A few minutes later, or just more than a kilometer from Iloilo City, gale and huge waves pummelled the boat, causing it to capsize.

Along with men from PCG-Iloilo and Ocean Jet ferry from Bacolod City, other passenger boats immediately sailed to rescue the victims.

Some passengers were seen floating on top of the capsized boat before they were rescued. An Ocean Jet passenger even tried to revive one of the child casualties, but the latter did not pull through.

Meawhile, Diaz clarified the boat was not overloaded, as it carried only 75 percent of its capacity when it sailed. He added the weather in Iloilo and Guimaras was even fine, although typhoon Lando battered other areas of the country.

That’s why, “there was no stoppage of sailing before that. From morning until afternoon, the seas were calm," said Diaz, who in turn theorized that the gale and huge waves were contributory factors to the incident.

“We are also looking at the possibility that the boat captain has miscalculated his move when the sudden strong winds and huge waves thumped the motorboat,” he said.

Boat captain Golatera, however, claimed he had 35 years of sailing experience along the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait route to be accused of miscalculation. He also claimed that he has to destroy a portion of the motorboat to free some passengers who got trapped while still wearing their life vests.

Following the incident, PCG-Iloilo ordered a stoppage of sailing Sunday afternoon but normal operations resumed yesterday with local officials overseeing the activity.

An investigation will be done to ascertain what really happened and who should be held accountable for the deadly incident. (FREEMAN)