Boy survives 3 days adrift

CEBU, Philippines - A 15-year-old boy was rescued yesterday after the engine of his motorized banca died and strong winds sent him adrift for three days from Villaba, Leyte, to Danao City, Cebu, a distance of about 36 kilometers, according to Coast Guard estimates.

Mark Sanico was rushed to the Danao District Hospital after seeking help from the residents of Sitio Libon, Barangay Guinsay, Danao City, where he was able to dock his boat around 9 a.m. yesterday.

PO2 Cherry Pañares, head of the Women and Children’s Protection Desk of the Danao City Police Station which holds the case, said the boy was very weak and collapsed on the shore as he asked for help.

At the hospital, the boy told Pañares that he got into the boat owned by his grandfather around 8 a.m. last Monday to go fishing but the engine died about two hours later.

The weather then was just as bad as a day earlier; heavy rains caused floods and landslides in some towns of Leyte and nearby provinces that reportedly killed at least three people.

The boy decided to drift with the tide until someone found and rescued him.

However, because of the bad weather, there were no other fishermen out in the water. He drifted for three days until he reached the shore of Barangay Guinsay and rowed the boat towards Sitio Libon.

The only thing Sanico had to eat during his ordeal was a packed meal he took with him when he set off, but this was already spoiled on the second day.

He did not have anything to eat or drink during the last two days of his ordeal.

“Milagro gani lagi na matawag nga naka-survive siya,” the police said.

Danao City Councilor Roland Reyes and other barangay officials, after learning of the boy’s state from the residents, rushed him to the hospital then went to the police station to report the matter.

The boy was confined at the hospital for 24 hours. His grandparents, who serve as his guardians, are set to arrive here today to fetch him. His mother is in Manila while his father’s whereabouts are unknown, Pañares said.

Pañares said the boy’s grandparents learned that their grandson survived after seeking help from the municipality of Villaba which in turned coordinated with Danao City Police Station.

She added that the boy will be fetched first by the Department of Social Welfare and Development today from the hospital to the Center for Minors at the Danao City Police Station.

Sanico is reportedly an experienced fisherman despite his young age. — BRP (FREEMAN)