WIDOWS OF 40 FISHERMEN
SAIL TO MANGSEE IS. TODAY
By Manny Piñol
Navotas, Metro Manila – Fifty four family members of the 40 Navotas fishermen who drowned at the height of Typhoon Vinta in Balabac, Palawan Dec. 23 last year sailed early today to the tiny island of Mangsee to retrieve their remains from a common grave and finally give them a decent burial.
“Project Iuuwi Namin Kayo,” which literally means “We Will Bring You Home,” is a joint undertaking of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Fishing Industry Stakeholders and Henry Omaga-Diaz of ABC-CBN.
The day-long journey through rough seas on board the DA-BFAR vessel BRP Lapulapu marks the first step in bringing closure to a tragedy which claimed the lives of 40 of the 79 crewmembers of fishing boats from Navotas which sank off Mangsee Island, a 23-hectare islet in the southernmost part of Palawan, just a short distance away from Sabah, Malaysia.
The four fishing boats, known as “Hulbot” owned by a rich and politically powerful family from Navotas, sought refuge near Mangsee Island at the height of Typhoon Vinta but huge waves battered the boats.
Forty of the 79 crewmembers drowned and when their bodies were recovered, they were dumped in a common grave in the island.
The families were reportedly given P15,000 each but there was no effort on the part of the owner of the fishing boats to retrieve the bodies and give them a decent burial.
The story barely made headlines and were it not for the dogged perseverance of ABS CBN journalist Henry Omaga-Diaz, it would not have reached my attention.
Two weeks ago, after Henry Omaga-Diaz visited the DA Secretary’s office and shared the tragic story, I made a commitment to make sure that the remains of the fishermen will be brought home.
A week later, Omaga-Diaz brought three of the widows of the fishermen to my office who wept when I told them that the Duterte Government will bring home the bodies and seek justice for the families of the victims.
The BRP Lapulapu, one of the two new vessels of DA-BFAR made in Navotas, is expected to arrive in Mangsee Island Monday after which the exhumation in the presence of the members of the family will begin.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) SOCO team will be asked to conduct DNA testing of the surviving members of the family and the remains of the fishermen for identification.
I will travel to Mangsee Island on Tuesday to personally oversee the operations and make sure that everything is done to make sure that the remains of the fishermen are brought home and given a proper burial.
After that is done, the battle to seek justice will begin.
(First photo shows the gallery of the fishermen who drowned in Mangsee; second photo shows families of the fishermen gathering in Navotas to prepare for the trip today; the third photo shows the three widows who came to my office along with Henry Omaga-Diaz. The remaining photos downloaded form public websites show the map of Palawan, Mangsee Island and the BRP Lapulapu and its sister-ship BRP Francisco Dagohoy.)
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