Eerie sight of broken panes and rotting bodies greet Coast Guard divers

Broken windows, collapsed ceilings, and decomposing bodies trapped under fallen debris. These were among the images captured inside sunken MV Catalyn-B, which showed the enormity of damage it incurred after colliding with the steel-hulled fishing boat FV Anatalia off Limbones Island in Cavite on Christmas Eve. Taken by Philippine Coast Guard auxiliary volunteer divers led by Capt. Matt Caldwell last Sunday, the underwater video showed the chaos inside and outside the vessel, now submerged under 220 feet of sea water.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV In an exclusive interview, Catalyn-B captain Tony Faminia told GMA News' JP Soriano that before the accident occurred, he sent a message to the fishing vessel asking it to make a right turn to thwart a possible accident. "Tinatawagan ko sila, (I kept sending them a message, saying, meeting vessel port to port)," Faminia said, adding that even before the other vessel could send its reply, he already changed course. Faminia also said that he even made his intentions clear by sending sound signals twice. Under the nautical “rules of road," when two vessels approach each other head on, each must alter course and turn right to pass to avoid collision. Two sound blasts are also needed to indicate that the ship is changing its course. Anatalia’s owner, Phil. Mariner Aquaventure Corporation, cried foul over Faminia’s statement, saying that the Catalyn-B ship captain changed his earlier statement. "Last Dec. 24 morning, Capt. Tony has admitted to (the captain of) Coast Guard during rescue operation that Catalyn smashed into Anatalia...why are they all of a sudden changing statement?" the company said. "Instead of focusing on issues like communication, which is highly debatable, everything can be addressed in the investigation," it added. Missing bodies As shown in the video taken by the Coast Guard auxiliary divers, at least two bodies could be seen from the ship’s windows. Based on the PCG’s latest tally, the remains of 12 passengers are still inside the vessel. PCG spokesman Armand Balilo conceded that certain difficulties might hamper the retrieval operations, especially if the bodies are swept away by the current. Nonetheless, he assured the public that the agency would do its best to recover the remains. Earlier, a body believed to be that of a Catalyn-B passenger was retrieved by the PCG detachment in Mariveles, Bataan. Balilo identified the victim as Michael Cajayon Almodal, 34, based on an indentification card found on him. PCG chief Wilfredo Tamayo earlier set a self-imposed deadline until the end of this week to finish the search, rescue and retrieval operations for Catalyn-B passengers. – JV, GMANews.TV