Thirteen fishermen were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) when their boat sank off Calatagan, Batangas on Sunday, August 27.
The PCG said fishing vessel Anita DJ II was submerged near the shoreline of Cape Santiago in Brgy. Bagong Silang around 6:45 a.m.
The distressed boat, owned by IRMA Fishing, departed from Navotas Port and was bound for Palawan fishing grounds when the incident occured.
“The Coast Guard received information from the mother of one of the crew that the distressed boat was submerged in the waters off the coast of Batangas,” the PCG said.
The Coast Guard Station Batangas deployed search and rescue personnel to locate the distressed vessel until they found it half-submerged at seven nautical miles (around 13 kilometers) from Cape Santiago.
The vessel eventually sank at 3:17 p.m. at 2.16 nautical miles (four kilometers) south southwest of Cape Santiago.
The PCG said it coordinated with the Calatagan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to determine if the incident caused an oil spill. Assessment was ongoing as of this writing.
Meanwhile, the rescued fishermen were brought to Coast Guard Sub Station Calatagan for medical assistance.
An investigation was launched to determine what caused the boat to sink.
Romblon
Meanwhile, two fishermen were also rescued by the PCG in San Agustin, Rombon on Sunday when the engine of their motorbanca suddenly failed.
The PCG said Bryan Madeja and Ronie Panuga departed from Brgy. Agnipa heading towards the vicinity waters off Brgy. Sugod last August 27 to conduct fishing ventures.
As the fishermen were on their way home, they encountered engine trouble and drifted at sea approximately 1.5 nautical miles off Brgy. Sugod.
The fishermen contacted their relatives through phone and told them to ask for assistance so they could be rescued.
The PCG in Romblon coordinated with the Provincial DRRMO (PDRRMO) to search for the two fishermen until they were located.
The fishermen were turned over to their families after a medical checkup.