8 missing fishermen in Pangasinan rescued

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – Eight fishermen from Bolinao, Pangasinan, who had been reported missing after sailing out on Tuesday night, June 11, were rescued by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officials on Saturday.

The PCG said no one was hurt in the incident. 

Earlier, the fishermen told the owner of their boat in a phone call that they are safe but could not find their way home.

“Everyone is accounted for. We are now trying to locate them so that we can send an ambulance to fetch them,” Bolinao municipal administrator Wilfredo Castelo said in an Inquirer report.

Castelo said the fishermen managed to land their boat in an unfamiliar place after a stormy night at sea, but they lost their global positioning system, and thus could not indicate their exact location.

They were able to contact the owner of their boat, Gregorio Castrence, at 12:30 pm on Saturday.

“I’m sure they did not land in Bolinao. Otherwise, they should be familiar with it,” Castelo said.

The fishermen left Balingasay village on the 14-ton boat Jomar Hurvey on Tuesday, June 11, to hunt for yellow fin tuna in the open sea.

The fishermen, consisting of boat operator Arnel Gohilde and his crew Eddie Oribla, Rene Lebios, Ryan Lebios, Jerick Puda, Albin Puda, Norman Calicdan and Gringo Gagarao, were expected  to be back Friday, June 14, Castrence said.

“But they called me on Friday morning that the boat had engine trouble so they stopped,” he said.

The fishermen were already 47 nautical miles northeast of Bolinao at the time of the distress call.

Castrence added that a low pressure area that caused a disturbance along the western seaboard on Friday may have swept the boat with its strong waves.

The Coast Guard had sent boats out to the West Philippine Sea to search for the fishermen after they were reported missing at around 10 am on Saturday. – Rappler.com