Ship hand goes missing while rescuing a passenger

CEBU, Philippines – A passenger ship crewman was reported missing after he jumped off the vessel in an attempt rescue a passenger.

Christy Quezon, 26, a native of Dipolog City said during an interview over DYSS Super Radyo that last May 22, her brother Mark Adrian Quezon, an oiler of Super Ferry 5 was nowhere to be found after he tried to help a woman passenger who jumped off the ship while trying to retrieve her wallet that fell down into the sea.

Christy said she learned about the incident on May 23 when a certain Romeo de Asis called her up to meet him so they could discuss things. De Asis, protection and indemnity manager quality assurance representative of Aboitiz Jepsen together with Vivian Diana, assistant crewing manager and another lady met Christy at a mall in Cebu City.

Christy said de Asis told her that Mark Adrian was among the crew who tried to rescue a girl who jumped off the vessel. The other crews were Mark Anthony Muñoz, a chief mate and Stanley Avila Puson.

When Christy went in Manila to follow up on the case of her brother, de Asis allegedly apologized to her telling her that the passenger that her brother tried to rescue is a man and not a woman as they earlier told her.

An investigation disclosed that Super Ferry 5 left the port of Manila at around 1:20 p.m. last May 22 bound to Bacolod City.   Around 12 p.m. of May 23, a passenger allegedly jumped off the ship after his wallet fell down to the sea. Three of the ship’s crew, whom Mark Adrian is one of, came to the rescue on board a rescue boat. However, while trying to help the passenger, the rescue boat allegedly capsized.

Christy said that Alipio Jugilon, the ship captain, told her that a rescue team was sent to search for Mark Adrian but they failed to find him after more than two hours of operation.

With almost 2,000 passengers on board, Jugilon allegedly told her that he decided to stop the rescue operation and then headed to Bacolod City.

Mark Adrian graduated as a Marine Engineer at the University of Visayas and has been working for Aboitiz Jepsen for almost three years as an oiler.

Christy complained that the information given to her regarding what really happened to her brother is not that accurate and complete.

The FREEMAN tried to get the side of Super Ferry management but failed. — Johanna T. Natavio/WAB (THE FREEMAN)