ANCHORED. Fishing boats anchor at the San Jose de Buenavista port on Friday (Jan. 15, 2021) unable to venture out to the sea due to big waves caused by the northeast monsoon. A search and rescue operation is ongoing for four missing fishermen. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Search and rescue operation (SAR) is currently ongoing for four fishermen reported missing by their families to the Antique Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
PCG Antique station commander Lieutenant Commander Noel Ramos, in an interview Friday, said the missing fishermen include Ruben Beso, Sr., 51 years old, and his crew John Lauren Beso and John Avillana from Anini-y town, who went missing on January 9.
The fourth missing is 25-year-old Junnel Aguirre last seen by his fellow fishermen, on board a wooden hull on January 14, about five to six miles away from the shoreline of Barangay San Pedro here.
"Aguirre’s wooden hull could have capsized because of the huge waves due to the northeast monsoon,” Ramos said.
He said that due to huge waves, they requested the PCG Western Visayas based in Iloilo City to send a bigger rescue sea vessel to assist in their SAR operation.
“Aguirre’s wooden hull has been swept towards Cagayancillo or Cuyo Island in Palawan, which is about 45 miles away from San Pedro and so we asked assistance from the PCG Western Visayas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ramos said that three fishermen from Anini-y could also have been swept towards Palawan by huge waves triggered by the ongoing northeast monsoon season.
“The station was informed by Allen Rose Beso of Barangay Sagua, Anini-y about the three missing fishermen onboard the fishing boat Den Carl after they failed to return last January 9,” he said.
He said that they had already coordinated with the PCG Station in Cagayancillo about the missing fishermen.
As of Friday, they are still waiting for updates from Cagayancillo, he added. (PNA)
