BRP Agta to send Niño back home
A humongous navy vessel that goes by the name BRP Agta will ferry the Santo Niño image enroute to Pier 1 in Cebu City during the fluvial procession tomorrow morning in line with the Fiesta Señor celebration.
BRP Agta, formally called the Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas Agta, is a ship of the Naval Forces Central headquartered in Barangay Looc, Lapu-Lapu City that is used in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations of the Philippine Navy.
Agta is the other term for Aetas, an indigenous group of people living in Luzon.
"Doon kinuha ang name niya kasi ang mga landing craft natin were named after the indigenous tribes natin dito sa Pilipinas," said Navforcen spokesperson Maria Amanda Precious Zamuco.
It will be the first time the 50-year-old naval ship will take part in the fluvial procession that will see the images of the Santo Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe brought back to Cebu City from the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City and the Nuestra Señora Virgen dela Regla in Lapu-Lapu City.
In the past, a white galleon would usually carry the images from the Ouano Wharf in Mandaue to the port area in Cebu City.
As a disaster augmentation vessel, BRP Agta could accommodate four M35 trucks or around 200 tons of cargo and more than 200 passengers. It was commissioned by the Philippine Navy last June 2016.
Zamuco said Agta previously served the Royal Australian Navy from 1971 to 2012 under the name of Her Majesty's Australian Ship (HMAS) Balik Papan.
The Philippine Navy then acquired the ship for disaster relief and humanitarian operations.
Since 2016, Agta has been helping the Navy in sending relief goods to disaster-stricken areas in the country.
In fact, according to Zamuco, Agta was used to send help to Biliran province in Eastern Visayas that was hit by typhoon Urduja; Iligan that was struck by typhoon Vinta; the erstwhilebesieged Marawi City. At the height of the bad weather during the last holiday season, it was also used to ferry passengers stranded in Samar.
MORE BOATS REGISTER
Meanwhile, some 70 vessels have registered with the Philippine Coast Guard to join the fluvial procession, according to PCG Cebu Commander Jerome Cayabyab.
When registration was closed on January 17, the deadline, a total of 50 sea vessels were listed before their office.
But Cayabyab said more boat owners and operators later came to their office yesterday to have their vessels registered.
And so, he said, the local coast guard unit accommodated their late applications in the spirit of the celebration of the feast of the Santo Niño.
As of 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, at least 20 vessel owners and operators passed their requirements and granted clearances to join the fluvial procession.
These 70 vessels all in all will join the BRT Agta from the Navforcen in Lapu-Lapu to Pier 1.
More than 30 vessels from the maritime and port authorities will also serve as sea marshals to secure the BRP Agta and ensure coordination among all participating vessels.
Cayabyab said some sea crafts and personnel will be also stationed in some hotspots where unregistered vessels were usually seen in the past.
He also said they have been notified that there will be favorable weather on Saturday. However, the coast guard team will continue to monitor the conditions off the coasts to make sure that sailing will be safe. —