ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/12 April) – Thirty-one persons, 28 of them tourists, were rescued when the motorboat they were riding overturned Saturday near Aliguay Island, Dapitan City, the police reported.
Quoting a report from the Philippine Coast Guard in Dapitan City, Insp. Dahlan Samuddin, Police Regional Office-9 information officer, said the boat, owned by Atty. Allan Ranillo, was travelling to Dipolog City from Aliguay Island when big waves battered it at around 9:30 a.
m. Saturday, causing it to overturn some five kilometers away from Aliguay Island.
Samuddin said five of the tourists aboard the ill-fated motorboat were injured, identified as Misha and Mark Dela Cruz; Princess, Kenshie and Naseshka, all surnamed Labay. But all five are now safe, he said.
Others rescued were Ryan Villanueva; Bong Bernabe; Reymart Enriquez; Randel Enriquez; Rod Lor; Joshua Inaldo; Raul Buenaventura; Michael Chavez; Francis Lim; Prince Perma; Rohan Del Cruz; Consol Dela Cruz; April Tupac; Raymond Dela Cruz; Peng Dacumos; Benjie Respicio; Teresa Respicio; Jay-r Paniza; Myles Montesclaros; Ramil Gomez; Doris Labay; Cherry Madjos Bernave; Aris Respicio; Rosito Maglangit; Henry Lubiano; and Ronald Armodia.
Maglangit is the boat man and Lubiano and Armodia were his assistants while all the others were visiting tourists who are medical represrentatives based in Ozamiz City.
Samuddin said they were rescued by PCG personnel and rescuers from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
He said the ill-fated motorboat was damaged during the incident and was placed under the custody of the Maritime Group in Dapitan City.
(MindaNews)
