ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 22 July) – The Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS), through its Naval component in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), rescued all the 19 people aboard a wooden-hulled ferry that sunk Saturday off Sulu, an official said Monday.
Col. Jose Johriel Cenabre, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade, said the rescue took place 5 p.m. Saturday 3.2 nautical miles southwest of Duay Bulod Island, Tongkil municipality.
The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said in a separate statement Monday that nine of those rescued are passengers and the other 10 are crewmen.
Cenabre, who is the concurrent JTFS commander, said they were aboard a wooden-hulled ferry, M/L Sea Dayang 2, which sunk after it was battered by big waves.
He said the ferry was traveling from this city en route to Bongao, Tawi-Tawi when the sea mishap happened.
However, he said Dayang’s skipper-owner Norham Bantayan managed to send distress message that alerted the Navy and Coast Guard authorities as well as the crew of a privately-owned fishing boat, thus the rescue operations.
Aside from Bantayan, rescued were Crisanto Monteso, Maing Jindi, Alkimah Alih, Alsimal Abdulmajid, Karusa Jamad, Enggo Sitoy, Renie Litag, Danilo Sumignan, Sandigo Kaviv, Tayyoh Baharon, Michael Bina, Ronie Montimoy, RJ Sitoy, Jul-amiri Ayub, Al-asraf Amsiri, Choy Sompo, Sitti Haidam Ayub, and Alma Bagdjuyo.