Day 2 of inquiry: Survivors recount last moments with loved ones

CEBU, Philippines - It was an emotional second day of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI). Six survivors recounted their traumatic experiences following the collision of two ships last Friday night at the Lawis Ledge in the south entrance of Cebu harbor.

Most of the survivors invited are still looking for their loved ones.

Anna Lamoste expressed her anger at three women wearing 2GO shirts who failed to help her and her family members when they sought help. On top of that, Lamoste said she was frustrated at having been passed on from one hospital to another in search of her child.

Jenelyn Yandog from Gingoog City Misamis Oriental recounted how she lost her two-year-old child after the collision. With her life vest on, Yandog was holding her child when Sulpicio Express Siete, after colliding with MV Saint Thomas Aquinas, moved back, causing the water to splash on them. It was when she lost her child.

Yandog’s cousin, Ramel, was also in tears as he recounted the moment they lost  the child.

The survivors pleaded that the search be continued, after hearing that operations would only be until today.

Also invited during the second day of the SBMI proceedings were the two sea marshalls on board MV Saint Thomas Aquinas.

PO2 Joseph Austria, who is from the PCG, detailed how fast everything happened. After they heard three loud sounds, people ran in panic.

Austria confirmed that the order to abandon ship was disseminated.

“Ginawa namin ang kaya namin as sea marshalls.” (We did everything we could.)

S1 Richard Pestillos, another sea marshall from the Philippine Navy, was also on board the ship.

“Nagpanic na yung mga tao. Nag-akyatan na sa taas,” said Pestillo, who said that some passengers jumped but were badly hurt after hitting solid materials.

“May mga tumalon na may life jacket. Pag-angat, life jacket nalang.”

Both Pestillos and Austria said they both helped other passengers to safety while some were already impossible to save.

After the survivors, some of the crew members of both ships were called for questioning starting off with 2GO personnel.

Aquinas’ 3rd mate Warlito Canillo admitted that he failed to look at the Closest Point of Approach (CPA), which according to the SBMI is an important factor in preventing collisions.

Canillo also said that he pressed the emergency alarm but left the bridge and went to the cabin of other crew members to warn them. This was following the captains’ order, said Canillo.

The SBMI stressed that the crew all have posts to take during emergencies.  The SBMI confirmed how frequent 2GO orders for drills on safety, which Canillo said is every week.

“Nagdi-drill kayo pero hindi niyo alam ang position niyo,” said Marina’s head of enforcement office, Arnie Santiago, a member of the SBMI.

Other invited crew members of the Aquinas said, though, that they did hear the alarm.

  Santiago pointed out that if indeed the alarm was sounded, everybody should have heard it.

From the crew members of MV Sulpicio Express, Boy Naby Manayaga, the 3rd mate of the cargo vessel, defended that after they switched from channel 16 to 12, he switched it back to channel 16 after communicating with Tran Asia Nine, a third vessel that was near the area prior the accident.

On the first day of the proceedings, both captains of MV Saint Thomas Aquinas and MV Sulpicio Express Siete, pointed out that they made contact with each other prior the collision but no answer was made.

Based on the account of the captain of Trans Asia Nine, it was Sulpicio Express that requested for them to transfer to channel 12 from 16.

Santiago of Marina stressed that protocol states that communication of ships should be made in Channel 16. —/JPM (FREEMAN)