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Saturday, December 02, 2006
Town mayor, two others found dead at sea
By Ben Serrano
Caraga Correspondent
BUTUAN CITY -- Rescuers found Friday the decomposing remains of Del Carmen Municipal Mayor Arlencita Navarro, Sherlyn Dantes and one other unidentified person near where m/b Leonida II sank off Punta Cili, Halian and Hinatuan Islands in the afternoon of November 25.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit Watch
This brings to 19 the number of casualties of the ill-fated ferry.
The Coast Guard office said divers found the three bodies at 11:30 a.m. Friday underneath the sunken ferry in the bottom of the ocean where it sank and finally settled.
The 21-year-old Dantes, from Bagacay, Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte in Siargao Island, was identified by relatives.
Lorelei Navarro-Santiago, who was waiting for word about her mother, confirmed that the mayor's body was already found.
"I am now with the Coast Guard boat and we are proceeding to Port Of Surigao City, yes, mommy's body was already at found past 11 this morning," the text message said.
Earlier, the late Navarro's 52-year-old aide, Delia Escauso -- one of 66 survivors, said she saw the mayor and the late Municipal Councilor Juanita Comon floating and struggling to swim at the side of the sinking m/b Leonida II.
"When I urged them to swim to me, out at the side of the sinking ferry, Mayor Navarro told me to go ahead and save myself and that was the last time I saw her and Comon since I swam as best I could away from the sinking ferry," Escauso said.
19 killed
Navarro is the 19th in the head count of casualties listed. Two other fatalities, identified as Renato Burdeos and Geremie Comelion, were found by fishermen from the island town of San Benito.
The 53-year-old mayor was the wife of former Surigao del Norte congressman Constantino Herrera Navarro Jr. He has not yet been informed of his wife's fate because of his illness.
Mayor Navarro once served as the President of the League of the Municipal Mayor's of Surigao del Norte and was a former member of the Congressional Spouses Foundation during the time of then House Speaker Manny Villar.
A native of Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte, Arlencita (her real name) married Constantino Jr., son of the late Surigao del Norte political kingpin Constantino "Oguing" Navarro Sr. The Navarros are related to the Sering political clan.
Constantino Jr. then became Surigao City mayor and then legislator of Surigao del Norte's first district defeating now incumbent Representative Glenda Ecleo, wife of legendary PBMA Supreme Master Ruben Ecleo Sr.
A province-wide plebiscite will be held Saturday to decide the fate of the law making Dinagat Island, home of the PBMA, a separate province of Surigao del Norte. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (December 2, 2006 issue)
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