Heading for Their Home 119 Were Rescued, Several Others Missing

The Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) has started transporting home some of the survivors of the ill-fated Super Ferry 9 that sank Sunday off Zamboanga del Norte province in Mindanao.

The ATS said in a statement yesterday that the SuperFerry 5 arrived around 7 a.m. in Ba-colod City carrying 180 rescued passengers of the ill-fated SuperFerry 9.

Initial reports said three of the survivors are from Baco-lod City while seven others are from different parts of Negros Occidental.

Superferry sources told NDB 42 survivors were sent home to Iloilo City via inter-island fastcrafts from the Bredco Port to their destinations in Iloilo and some parts of Panay island.

Three drowning victims, placed in a crater were also shipped here, for identification purposes. Authorities were able to establish their identities through ID cards in their possession.

They were Brgy. Capt. Emilia Golveo, 71s, of Caga-mutan, Leganes, Iloilo; Nilda Dumaog of Koronadal, South Cotabato; and Fernando Estrada, 45, of Star Cinema, Manila.

Among the survivors were Rosalinda Mulato whose husband, Edilberto drowned after almost eight hours in the sea, due to exhaustion and lack of food; Wilma Diaresco of Brgy. Banago; Jeffrey Labiana, Manny Fernandez, a certain Flaviana and Numer-iano Mendoza.

Levi Tupas, Jr. of Brgy. Tangub, this city, told media-men who interviewed him that even from their point of departure in General Santos City at dawn Saturday, he noticed that the vessel was already listing (nagatakilid) thus he did not sleep but kept vigil expecting something wrong to take place. True indeed, at half past 2:00 a.m., panic and confusion prevailed as hundreds of passengers were awakened with everyone crying and wailing, grabbing all the available rescue gadgets and jackets while cargoes kept on falling down all over the place.

SuperFerry 9 sank Sunday morning at Baturampon Point while on voyage from General Santos City to Iloilo City.

Of the 180 rescued passengers, 58 of them disembarked in Bacolod City where they will were given assistance in going home to their respective places, the ATS said.

Super Ferry 5 departed Bacolod City around 11 a.m. yesterday and is expected to arrive around 8:30 a.m. today in Manila carrying the remaining 122 of the 180 who are from Luzon.

Another ATS vessel, the SuperFerry 1, which departed from Zamboanga City at 11:15 p.m. Sunday, is expected to arrive around 5:30 a.m. yesterday in Iloilo City, carrying 119 rescued passengers.

Of the 119 survivors, 63 of them are bound for Manila. They are expected to arrive by Tuesday midnight in Manila. All the other rescued passengers are still in this southern port city.

Mayor Celso Lobregat has mobilized the local government resources to assist the survivors who were brought to this city.

Lobregat made the mobilization following request from Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, who is also chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), to convene the CDCC and to extend all possible assistance to the victims.
“Everything is taken cared of, even if the incident happened outside Zamboanga City territory. We provide whatever assistance we can give,” Lobregat said.

City Social Welfare and Development Officer Francisco Barredo immediately provided relief assistance in the form of water, food, slippers and clothing.

Most, if not all, of the survivors who were ferried to this southern port city failed to save any of their personal belongings and were barefooted.
The City Health Office and other health agencies also provided first aid and other health services to passengers who are ill.* (PNA)