EL NIDO TOURIST BOAT RESCUE. The Philippine Navy (PN) ship BRP
Nestor Reinoso (PC 380) can be seen in this photo while towing tourist boat M/B
Cleopatra from the vicinity of Helicopter Island, El Nido, early Monday
afternoon. The tourist boat sank after it was hit by strong waves. All its
passengers were safe as they were rescued by other tourist boats nearby. (Photo
courtesy Navforwest/WESCOM PAO)
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- A sinking tourist boat with two
crew onboard was rescued Monday off the vicinity of Helicopter Island in El
Nido.
Captain Cherryl Tindog, chief of the Public Affairs Office of the
Western Command (Wescom) said Monday night the Philippine Navy’s (PN) BRP
Nestor Reinoso (PC 380) was dispatched around noon to help the sinking M/B
Cleopatra by the Joint Task Force Malampaya (JTFM) and the Naval Forces West.
She said the JTFM, a special task force that takes care of the security
of the offshore Malampaya Natural Gas Project MNGP), spotted the motorized
banca around 12:25 p.m. near Helicopter Island and ws being helped by the crew
of a speedboat owned by Miniloc Island.
“At around 12 noon, the JTFM received a telephone call from Capt.
Lakanni Hidalgo, security officer of the El Nido Resorts, who reported the
incident regarding the motor banca,” Tindog said.
When interviewed by rescue authorities, M/B Cleopatra skipper, Hayrone
Sulayman, said they departed on the morning of August 6 from the shoreline of
El Nido for a private island tour with 10 Filipino guests, a tour guide, and
three crewmen to go to the Small Lagoon near Miniloc Island.
However, on their way to the site, their boat “encountered big waves
causing its bow to crack and for water to start flowing inside.”
Tindog said Sulayman ordered his guests to go to the fantail of the
boat, hoping for the bow to remain afloat but failed due to strong waves.
“Other tourist boats nearby provided them assistance. They managed to
transfer all their guests to another tourist boat.
The crew, however, remained
on the sinking tourist boat which was quickly drifting towards Helicopter and
Calaragnan islands,” she said.
Tindog added the Navy ship was able to tow M/B Cleopatra to the shore
of El Nido at around 1:00 p.m. All its passengers were safe.
Four days ago, the Navy ship BRP Nestor Reinoso also figured in the
rescue of 28 fishermen from their capsized boat 35 nautical miles off El Nido.
All from Caminawit, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, they were on their
way to the West Philippine Sea fishing grounds when strong waves due to the
southwest monsoon sank their motorized fishing boat. (PNA/By Celeste Anna Formoso)
