MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Six fishers from Bolinao town, Pangasinan who were on sea when Typhoon Enteng struck have returned home, but three others remain missing.
In a phone interview Wednesday, head of Bolinao’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) Cherish Calicdan said six fishers from Barangay Balingasay sailed 67 nautical miles away from Bolinao’s shore on Sunday when the weather disturbance was still a low-pressure area and no gale warning was in place.
“On the night of Sept. 2 (Monday), three of the six fishermen were rescued by fishermen and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel after they were seen floating on the waters between La Union and Ilocos Sur provinces,” she said in Filipino.
Calicdan said according to the three fishermen, their boat capsized and that they had three companions from another boat whose whereabouts they did not know.
She said the three rescued fishermen were brought to the PCG office in Sual, Pangasinan before they were sent home Tuesday night.
Their three companions whom they thought were missing returned safely on Wednesday, according to their respective families, Calicdan said, adding that as of this writing, personnel of the MDRRMO were checking the health condition of the fishers.
3 missing fishers
Meanwhile, three other fishers from Barangay Lucero, Bolinao who set sail on the night of Aug. 31 have been reported missing by their families after they failed to return on Sept. 2.
The missing fishermen were identified as Coragel Carolino, 58; Ace Carolino, 32; and Ramon Fernandez, 58.
“We have coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard and the local disaster risk reduction and management office for the search and rescue operations,” Pangasinan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office - Emergency Operations Center assistant director Pia Flores said in an interview.
On the impact of the storm, Flores said 26 families, consisting of 107 individuals, from Balungao town were evacuated due to flooding earlier in the day.
No casualties or injuries were reported, she said.
Classes at all levels, both in public and private schools, across the province were suspended Wednesday.
In La Union, the Provincial Information Office said nine of the 10 families from San Fernando City and Rosario town who were evacuated during the onslaught of Enteng have returned to their residences, except for a family whose house in Rosario was destroyed.
Authorities said 19 incidents of landslide and flooding were reported in San Fernando City, Sudipen, Luna, and Aringay towns as of Wednesday morning.
Enteng has exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility but it continues to enhance the southwest monsoon, bringing rains in some parts of the Ilocos Region. (PNA)