16 rescued as speedboat capsizes in Zamboanga City

COTABATO CITY — Emergency responders promptly rescued 16 people in a small speedboat that capsized a few miles off Zamboanga City while on their way to an island barangay for an official activity on Friday morning.

Officials of the Police Regional Office-9 told reporters at past noontime Friday that the 16 individuals riding the ill-fated speedboat are employees of the city government who were out to inspect community projects in Barangay Tumalutap as part of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) evaluation by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The Zamboanga City government had reportedly been nominated for the 2024 SGLG award from the DILG’s central office.

Among the rescued speedboat passengers are Police Major Rolando Arriola Jr. and his subordinate, Master Sgt. Reagan Gregorio.

Radio reports here and in Zamboanga City stated that one of the two engines of the overloaded speedboat malfunctioned and stopped running, causing the watercraft to slow down and eventually sink after having been battered by big waves.