President Marcos conveyed his sympathy over the deaths of three Filipino fishermen whose boat was rammed by a commercial vessel in Bajo de Masinloc.
Marcos assured their families that an investigation is now underway to shed light on the sea incident that took place on Monday, Oct. 2.
"We are deeply saddened by the deaths of the three fishermen, including the captain of the fishing vessel," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The incident is still under investigation, to ascertain the details and circumstances surrounding the collision between the fishing boat and a still unidentified commercial vessel," he added.
The President said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is currently "backtracking and checking all monitored vessels in the area as part of its ongoing investigation."
"We assure the victims, their families, and everyone that we will exert every effort to hold accountable those who are responsible for this unfortunate maritime incident," he said.
"Rest assured that the government will provide support and assistance to the victims and their families," he added.
The Chief Executive also urged the public to refrain from making up speculations about the fishermen's deaths and the sea mishap, and allow the authorities to investigate.
"Let us allow the PCG to do its job and investigate, and let us refrain from engaging in speculation in the meantime," Marcos said.
According to the PCG, the Filipinos' fishing boat was rammed by an unidentified commercial vessel transiting the waters off Bajo de Masinloc at around 4:20 a.m. on Monday.
The boat submerged, resulting in the death of its three crew members, including its boat captain.
Eleven crew members survived the incident and reported the incident to the PCG on Tuesday morning. They said that they used their eight service boats to leave the scene and transport the victims' bodies to Barangay Cato, Infanta in Pangasinan.