Fisherman rescued after nine days adrift off Occidental Mindoro

A fisherman who had been missing for nine days after his boat suffered engine failure was rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine Navy during a search and rescue operation off Mamburao on 25 October.

The fisherman departed Sitio Kalangigan in Barangay Harrison, Paluan, aboard his fishing banca, Tyron, for a fishing trip. He was reported missing on the evening of 16 October.

Following the report, Coast Guard Sub-Station Paluan launched search and rescue operations across the coastal waters of Occidental Mindoro in coordination with local government units, the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and local fisherfolk.

The Coast Guard also issued public advisories and radio challenges via very high frequency (VHF) radio to vessels transiting the area to help locate the missing fisherman.

Investigators later determined that the fishing banca had suffered engine failure, leaving the fisherman drifting at sea for nine days.

Due to operational commitments and time constraints, the Philippine Navy vessel BRP Ramon Alcaraz transported the rescued fisherman to Rivera Wharf at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority in Olongapo City.

Personnel from Coast Guard Station Zambales and SBMA medical teams provided assistance upon his arrival. A medical assessment found that the fisherman was in good physical condition despite his prolonged exposure at sea.

Meanwhile, Coast Guard Station Zambales and a deployable response team from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) retrieved and towed the fishing banca Tyron to safety.

The survivor was subsequently turned over to representatives of the Occidental Mindoro PDRRMO and the Provincial Government of Occidental Mindoro’s Department of Social Welfare and Development Office for transport and reunion with his family in Mamburao.

The PCG credited the Philippine Navy, PNP, BFAR, local government agencies and maritime stakeholders for their coordination in locating and rescuing the fisherman.