Coast Guard searches for ship captain

The captain of the cargo boat loaded with beer remained missing two days after the vessel capsized last Thursday night in stormy waters off Bulusan, Sorsogon, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.

Search and rescue teams scoured the waters of Bulusan and Matnog towns in Sorsogon to find the missing captain Nathaniel Latorre, 51, of the barge MV Don Wilfredo which sank about 100 meters from the shorelines of of Barangay Buhang in Bulusan town, Sorsogon, the PCG said.

Rescuers have already accounted 19 of the crew members except for Latorre.

Captain Henry Caballero, Bicol Coast Guard District commander, identified the rescued crew members as Roger Villanueva, 51, of Cadiz City; Evangelista Manginsan, Jr., 35, of Iligan City; Michael Labastilla, 28, of San Mateo, Rizal; Luis Janohan, 29, of Quezon  City; Rommel Espinosa, 25, of Zamboanga City; Jerry Palad, 22, of Mabalacat, Pampanga who were all rescued at the Tikling Island in Matnog, Sorsogon while John Marlon Dato, 34, of Buhatan, Sorsogon; Manuel Belanguel, 47, of Tabaco City; Sherwin Devero, 34, of Negros Oriental; Arnulfo Abayon, 32, of Davao City; Gilbert Mariano, 25, of Arayat, Pampanga; Noe Labro, 28, of Catbalogan, Samar; Jason Andaya, 22, of Dipaculo, Aurora; Jose Ordaneta, 49, of Davao del Norte; Orlando Camcam, 25, of  San Quintin, Pangasinan; and Nelson Floresca, 40, of Samar who were also rescued off Barangay Macaberi in Bulusan, Sorsogon.

Rey Catubuan, 31, of Capiz, Roxas was found off the waters off Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon and John Paul Sibug, 20, of Pampanga off the waters of Matnog, Sorsogon.

Caballero said the barge owned by the Candano Shipping Lines was loaded with 76,744 cases of beer and 780 pallets had departed Mandaue City in Cebu to deliver bee to Legazpi City when the vessel encountered big waves and strong winds in the vicinity of Bulusan due to a low pressure area in Surigao.

“The captain sensing the danger decided to reverse course but the cargo vessel eventually sunk at the about 8 p.m. Thursday,” said Caballero.

Caballero added that one crew member Nelson Floresca was able to call up his cousin Jude Santiago using his cellular phone, before the barge sunk  to inform the Coast Guard district in Sorsogon about the incident.

Senior Superintendent Roberto Bondoc, Bicol police director, said that early Friday the police together with barangay officials in Bulusan immediately responded and spotted the sunken vessel near the shoreline of Barangay Buhang.

Bondoc said that rescuers composed of elements from police in Bulusan, Barcelona and Matnog including civilian volunteers and the Navy’s special operations group were immediately mobilized for the rescue operations. – Evelyn Macairan, Celso Amo, AP