THREE Filipino fishermen were dead after their boat was rammed by a still unidentified foreign commercial vessel transiting in the vicinity waters off Bajo de Masinloc (BdM), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
The PCG said according to one of the crew of FFB Dearyn, the incident happened around 4:20 a.m. of October 2.
The crew said their mother boat was then moored to payao for fishing 85 nautical miles northwest of BdM when the unidentified vessel hit them, causing the vessel to submerge in water.
Among the fatalities was the captain of the boat. Eleven crew members survived the incident.
The survivors used their eight service boats to leave the vicinity and transport the casualties to Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan.
In an interview with reporters, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed condolences to the family of the victims.
He also ordered the PCG to conduct an investigation on the incident as he urged the public to refrain from speculating in the meantime.
"We are deeply saddened by the deaths of the three fishermen, including the captain of the fishing vessel. The incident is still under investigation to ascertain the details and circumstances surrounding the collision between the fishing boat and a still unidentified commercial vessel," Marcos said.
"We assure the victims, their families, and everyone that we will exert every effort to hold accountable those who are responsible for this unfortunate maritime incident," he added.
Marcos said the government will provide assistance to the bereaved families.
In a television interview, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said they are already conducting backtracking to identify the boat responsible for the incident. (SunStar Philippines)