Bodies of 2 fishermen found in Cavite collision site

MANILA, Philippines - The bodies of two fishermen were recovered at the site where a fishing boat reportedly collided with a cargo vessel in Cavite last Wednesday night, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday. 

PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo identified the two fatalities as Jojo Cumbilla and Vincent de la Cruz, who were among the 23 fishermen on board the fishing boat F/B Dan Israel-G when the incident happened.  

Twelve fishermen were rescued, while nine others were still missing after the collision at around 11 p.m. Wednesday some three nautical miles of Ternate, Cavite.

Balilo said divers of the PCG’s Special Operations Group found De la Cruz’s body in the sunken fishing boat at least 33 meters deep yesterday morning, while Cumbilla’s was earlier found floating in the water.

The 12.66 gross ton fishing boat is reportedly owned by Danny Ang of San Jose, Navotas City.

Citing the accounts of the rescued fishermen, Balilo said the F/B Dan Israel-G, which had come from Navotas, encountered engine trouble and the fishermen lowered the anchor to repair the engine.

“It was during this time when they were reportedly hit by a still unidentified cargo ship,” said Balilo. 

The PCG immediately responded and dispatched two search and rescue vessels, the BRP Davao del Norte and BRP San Juan.

Rear Admiral Cecil Chen, PCG vice commandant for administration and National Capital Region-Central Luzon head, has instructed his men to scour fishing villages in Cavite for the missing fishermen.

According to the Vessel Traffic Monitoring System, there were only two cargo ships that passed by the area when the collision took place at 11 p.m. Wednesday. 

The two cargo ships are the 1,504 gross ton M/V Ocean Hope owned by Oceanic Container Lines and the 5,707 gross ton M/V Virginia Kalikasan owned by the Fortune MV Logistics Inc.

Chen’s unit has been directed to board the two vessels to investigate and determine which one collided with the F/B Dan Israel-G. 

The two vessels are currently unloading cargo at the Port of Manila. If there is probable cause implicating one of them in the collision, the vessel would not be allowed to leave. 

Balilo said the incident was a “hit and sail” case, meaning that after the collision, the cargo ship did not even bother to help the fishermen.

The fishermen told the PCG that after the collision, the cargo ship’s crewmen even pointed their flashlight at them, giving them the impression that the crewmen were aware that they hit another vessel. 

Balilo though said these details have yet to be verified. – With Ed Amoroso