3 more fishermen rescued in Mindoro

The Coast Guard reported yesterday that the crew of a passing Panamanian-registered tanker rescued on Christmas Day three missing fishermen off Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro.

The fishermen, who drifted for 10 days from their fishing grounds near the coast of Pangasinan, were identified as Darwin Gonzales, 33, Gilbert Oyando, 45 and Carico Palos, 47, all from Iba, Zambales.

They celebrated Christmas on board the China-bound MT Ipsilantis that picked them up around 10 a.m. near Lubang Island, almost 300 kilometers away from their fishing grounds near Scarborough Shoal off Pangasinan.

The Coast Guard said the crew of the passing Ipsilantis spotted the three fishermen clinging to their half-submerged fishing boat, one of more than two dozen small fishing boats that encountered strong winds and rough seas last Dec. 15.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said at least 200 fishermen had been reportedly missing after their boats ran into bad weather caused by the northeasterly winds during a fishing expedition near Scarborough Shoal.

The fishermen, mostly from Infanta, Dasol, Agno, and Bolinao towns in Pangasinan and Bataan were reported missing after they failed to return to their families several days after they left.

The NDCC reported that 156 fishermen have been rescued since Dec. 15 while the Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force continued the search for 45 fishermen who remained missing.

The Coast Guard said Ipsilantis was cruising from Singapore on its way to the port of Yangin in China when the crew found the three distressed fishermen off Lubang Island.

Three other survivors were earlier rescued by a passing US Navy ship after the fishermen were found clinging to their overturned boat for five days. They were identified as Johnny Galvez, 23, Renato Ignacio, 31, and Leopoldo Molino, 23, all residents of Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan.