Photo courtesy of the PNA
By Junex Doronio
DEEPLY SADDENED BY THE DEMISE of three fishermen, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday vowed that those responsible for the ramming incident in Scarborough Shoal would be held accountable.
At the same time, the President cautioned the public to allow the Philippine Coast Guard to investigate the incident and “refrain from engaging in speculation in the meantime.”
“We are deeply saddened by the deaths of the three fishermen, including the captain of the fishing vessel. 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,” Marcos Jr. said.
For its part, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said in a statement that the captain of the fishing boat Dearyn was among those killed when it sank after the collision 85 nautical miles — 157.42 kilometers — from Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.
According to PCG, eleven members of the crew survived the incident, which happened around 4:20 a.m. last Monday, October 2.
A member of the crew told the PCG that the fishing boat was moored to a “payao” (a floating fish aggregating device) when they were rammed by a still unidentified vessel.
He said the crew members brought the bodies of those killed to Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan using their service boats and arrived there on Tuesday morning, October 3.
“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. Rest assured that the government will provide support and assistance to the victims and their families,” the President said. (ai/mnm)
