Coast Guard rescues 33 fishermen off Palawan

UPDATED 3:00 p.m. - The Coast Guard reported about the rescue of least 33 out of the 37 fishermen who were reported missing off Palawan after their fishing vessel was wrecked by big waves. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said 26 of the fishermen were found in one island of Palawan while the other two were found at another island. "Magmula Sunday, walang tigil ang Coast Guard operatives sa Palawan para i-rescue ang fishermen galing Mindoro (Since Sunday, the Coast Guard in Palawan had been conducting rescue operations for the fishermen who came from Mindoro)," Balilo said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said the Coast Guard is coordinating with the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force in searching for the fishermen. Citing reports reaching him, Balilo said the fishermen left as early as Sunday, and may have drifted to separate islands after their boat capsized. Balilo emphasized that the Coast Guard was not negligent in its duty as it tried to discourage fishermen and small seacraft from heading out to sea if there is a gale or strong wind. "May panawagan tayo, ine-encourage natin ang fishermen pag masama panahon huwag muna (We encourage fishermen to refrain from going out to sea if the weather is bad)," he said. Radio dzBB's Palawan affiliate reported on Tuesday that the 37 were aboard the fishing boat "Jonathan 1" from Mindoro Occidental. The initial reports alleged that the vessel was split into parts due to big sea waves. The current reportedly carried some of the crew members to an island near Taytay town in Palawan. Radio dzBB quoted local Coast Guard operatives as saying fishermen from the locality helped rescue many of the crew members of the ill-fated vessel. Local authorities also theorized that the fishermen, who were from Mindoro Occidental, may have tried to fish in the area to take advantage of the high prices of marine products. Strong winds The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) had warned of strong to gale force winds affecting the seaboards of Luzon, Visayas and Northern Mindanao. PAGASA on Tuesday warned of flash floods and landslides over Palawan province and parts of Visayas and Mindanao due to rains from a cold front. "Ang Eastern Visayas at Mindanao, at ang Palawan medyo maulap ang kalangitan kaya asahan natin may pag-ulan ," PAGASA forecaster Benjie de Paz said in an interview on dzBB radio. (Eastern Visayas and Mindanao, along with Palawan, have cloudy skies and we can thus expect rains there.) He said the northeast monsoon still hovers over Luzon while the cold front is affecting Visayas and Mindanao. De Paz said parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, are likely to have cloudy skies but relatively light rains. "Luzon will experience mostly cloudy skies with light rains. Visayas and Mindanao including Palawan will have cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," PAGASA said in its 5:00 a.m. bulletin on Tuesday. Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Northeast will prevail over Luzon, Visayas and Northern and Eastern Mindanao, PAGASA added. PAGASA also said the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the Northeast and East with slight to moderate seas. On the other hand, strong to gale force winds are expected to affect the seaboards of Luzon, Visayas and Northern Mindanao, PAGASA said. While it has brought heavy rains to other parts of the country, the cold front that triggered floods and landslides will most likely not bring much-needed rains to Metro Manila, PAGASA said. By Thursday and Friday, rains are expected over Cagayan and Isabela, PAGASA officer-in-charge Graciano Yumul Jr. said. – VVP, GMANews.TV