Fast craft runs aground off Siquijor; 32 rescued
SIQUIJOR — Thirtytwo passengers aboard a fastcraft were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) after their vessel ran aground on a reef Sunday morning, around two to three nautical miles away from Siquijor province.
M/V OceanJet 15, bound for Dumaguete, just departed from Barangay Tongo of this province when it encountered four fishing boats, PCG-Dumaguete Station commander Lieutenant Junior Grade Donna Liza Ramacho told The FREEMAN.
The vessel's captain, Ireneo Cabrera, altered his course to port to avoid collision with the fishing boats, but ran aground on a reef as a result, she added.
Thirty minutes after the fastcraft left its port of origin, the OceanJet management immediately contacted Ramacho, who then informed her deputy commander in Siquijor to respond to the incident.
"We rented two motorbancas and that's what we used to rescue all the passengers, dayon gipa-ferry back to the shoreline for safety," she said, adding that they opted to use bancas to avoid another bigger vessel of theirs from running aground where the ill-fated vessel was located.
The rescue operation was concluded at 8 a.m. Sunday, two hours after the M/V Ocean Jet 15 was scheduled to depart, and the passengers were transported back to Siquijor by batches.
The OceanJet management refunded the tickets of all the passengers, who were in turn transferred to another fast craft bound for Dumaguete.
As of press time, the M/V Ocean Jet 15 still remained at the site where it ran aground, specifically at the reefs of Cangalwang in Barangay Tongo, Siquijor. Authorities are still waiting for the waves to calm before recovering the vessel, Ramacho said.
"We have required OceanJet to submit their marine protest, para naa lang sila'y formal statement on the incident," she further told The FREEMAN, adding that the passengers have no plans to file complaints against the shipping company.