CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – After braving strong waves to conduct search and rescue operations off the coast of Mariveles, Bataan for three days, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) found out that the report on the missing 15 fishermen last Monday was a hoax.
In an interview with Punto, Lt. Senior Grade Geronimo Tuvilla of the Bataan Coast Guard said it turned out the three alleged fishermen who were rescued on the high seas of Mariveles were mere drug addicts who made up the story to elicit sympathy and raise funds for themselves.
Tuvilla said the three, whose names he asked not to be published amid police operations targeting their illegal drug connections, were all in their 30’s and were residents of Barangay Camaya in Mariveles.
“We are appealing to the public never to toy with search and rescue institutions because the lives of rescuers could be endangered,” said an irked Tuvilla.
He said the three suspects signed last Thursday a statement admitting they merely manufactured the story about the missing 15 fishermen.
The story started last Monday when the three decided to set off on a small boat owned by the father of one of them. Because of the strong waves, the boat sunk but the three were able to hold on to a floating debris.
Tuvilla said that fishermen on a large fishing boat bound for the Navotas fishport saw and rescued the three, who claimed they were part of a crew of a large boat which sank with 15 others.
“They tried to elicit the pity of the rescuers from whom they sought P600 and some shirts before they were brought to the shore,” Tuvilla said.
The report on the allegedly missing 15 other people was relayed by the rescuers to local authorities in Mariveles, thus triggering a search and rescue operation.
“I sent out three search and rescue teams on board bancas and rubber boats starting last Monday despite the strong waves. I also alerted our aviation forces and the police which helped in the operations even up to last Wednesday,” he said.
With no sign at all of any sunk large fishing boat and of the purported missing 15 persons, Tuvilla examined the photos of the three rescued men and got the impression that they could be drug addicts.
“I also got reports that the three were notorious in their barangay and all of them had abandoned their wives and families. They are known for sailing out to beg from big fishing boats on the Mariveles waters,” he said.
The three were again invited to the Coast Guard office where they finally admitted inventing the story about the missing fishermen.
“They could not look directly into your eyes,” Tuvilla noted.
Tuvilla said the PCG has left to the police the filing of appropriate charges against the three who were brought to the custody of the barangay officials of Camaya.
