PCG searches for 7 missing fishermen in Palawan vessel collision
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) tapped the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday, May 30, to expedite the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the seven fishermen who went missing after their boat collided with a cargo vessel in Agutaya, Palawan.

Admiral Artemio Abu, PCG Commandant, said the military’s Western Command (WesCom) and Tactical Operations Wing (TOW)-West were asked to deploy Fokker F27 Friendship turboprop aircraft for an aerial search at the vicinity waters off Maracanao Island where FB JOT-22, a fishing boat, collided with MV Happy Hiro, a cargo vessel sailing under the flag of Marshall Island, around 5:40 p.m. last Saturday.
“It turns out that based on the initial investigation, the FB JOT-22 encountered an engine trouble. Now, we are checking the log of the MV Happy Hiro if its warning system went off for an alarm. This could have prevented the collission,” Abu said.
For its part, the PCG Aviation Force also deployed BN Islander Plane (PCG-251) to conduct an aerial search within the vicinity waters of Palawan.
“Our rescue team is in the area. We will conduct the SAR ops until we can account all of the missing individuals,” Abu said.
According to the PCG, MV Happy Hiro came from China and was en route to Australia when the accident happened.

The fishing boat was carrying 20 fishermen, 13 of whom were rescued by the authorities. The boat sunk due to the impact of the collision.
“We already issued a Notice of Mariners to inform transiting vessels that we are finding for our missing fishermen. We assure the families of the victims that we will not stop our SAR operations until we find all of our fishermen,” Abu said.