Woman dead, 4 missing after boat capsizes in Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — A woman died, six others were rescued, and four more remain missing after a boat believed to be involved in an illegal voyage possibly linked to human trafficking capsized Saturday in the waters between Sitio Matangguli and Canibungan Island in Balabac, Palawan.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Substation in South Western Palawan said the deceased was a woman from Cavite. The survivors include three women from Las Piñas, Balintawak, and Mandaue City in Cebu, and three men from Olongapo City, Talisay City in Cebu, and one crew member from Barangay Indalawan in Balabac. The PCG did not make their names available.

Among the four individuals still unaccounted for is a man from Balabac. Details about the three others remain unknown.

Ensign Mark Joseph Bajao, acting station commander of the PCG substation in Balabac, said the search and rescue operations have been temporarily suspended due to bad weather conditions and will resume the following day.

“Our survivors reported that a total of 11 individuals were on board. One died, six were rescued, and four are still missing. As of 5:30 p.m., we decided to temporarily suspend search and rescue due to bad weather. We will resume operations tomorrow,” Bajao said.

Initial probe into the incident said that the passengers were bound for Malaysia, with some of them not being residents of Palawan.

Bajao said that their travel was unauthorized and took place despite warnings and an earlier travel advisory issued due to rough sea conditions.

“They told me the destination was Malaysia, and while one crew member is from Balabac, the rest are from other areas," he said.

"This sems to be a backdoor operation, and there is a strong possibility that this involves human trafficking. No one is coming forward as the boat owner, and even the crew from Balabac is refusing to talk,” Bajao added.

The six survivors and the body of the deceased are currently at the Coast Guard Substation in Barangay Bancalaan, Balabac.

“They have received medical assistance, and we’re working closely with the PNP, DRRMO, the Balabac municipal government, and Barangay Bancalaan. Everyone is cooperating,” he said.