Five Filipino fishermen missing off Zambales province since January 30 turned out to be safe, after the Vietnamese Coast Guard rescued them. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Monday that Vietnam's National Search and Rescue Commission rescued the five some 300 nautical miles off central Binh Dinh province. “We’ve already talked to their relatives after hearing the news from our Vietnamese counterpart and we are now seeking the help of (the Department of Foreign Affairs) for the immediate return of the fishermen," Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said in an article posted on the PCG website. Citing a message form the Vietnam Maritime Rescue Coodinating Center, the PCG identified the rescued fishermen as:
Regino Suico; Naptalie Surbano; Remy Joy Jiray; Alfredo Mangubat, and Diego Abano. The five are now staying in a hotel in Tuy Hoa City, the capital of central Phu Yen Province, following the rescue by Vietnamese fishing vessel PY90441, some 300 nautical miles off Binh Dinh. Le Con, the captain of the said fishing vessel, immediately provided first aid to the rescued distressed Filipino fishermen and transferred them to another vessel that brought them to the nearest shoreline based on the report given by Huynh Van Dinh, deputy chief of staff of the Vietnamese Provincial Coast Guard Force. Balilo said the rescued fishermen were crew members of a fishing vessel that capsized and sank somewhere along South China Sea on January 30. He said the PCG sent search-and-rescue vessel BRP EDSA II (SARV-002) and aircraft to scour the area. The Coast Guard also sent a Notice to Mariners (NOTAM) but combined search and rescue efforts failed to locate the five fishermen due to the rough sea conditions. Balilo said the relatives of the fishermen coordinated with the PCG and are seeking DFA assistance tor their immediate repatriation. Meanwhile, the PCG thanked its Vietnamese counterparts for the humanitarian aid given to the fishermen since the Philippines and Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in October last year on Cooperation in Search and Rescue at Sea during President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s state visit. – VVP, GMA News 
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