(March 12, 2021, West Philippine Sea) – A rescue boat carrying around 60 passengers bound for Kalayaan Municipality found itself being rescued by a Philippine Navy ship when it encountered giant waves in the vicinity of Royal Captain atoll.
The ship, a 30-meter made of fiber glass, was carrying DILG and COMELEC personnel. The former was to inspect several projects and the latter to conduct a scheduled plebiscite for the division of Palawan.
The boat was 9 hours away and 55 miles off mainland Palawan was already negotiating rough sea travel when it left Buliluyan Port in Bataraza, Palawan Wednesday noon.
The boat captain, Herbert Llanaga and the Kalayaan Mayor Robert Del Mundo, who was also onboard, decided to turn around back to the mainland after several passengers, mostly women lost consciousness due to hypothermia and seasickness. The trip was already almost halfway to its destination when it turned around.
The limping boat was spotted by a Phil Navy ship commandeered by LT CDR Lozanez already at the vicinity of Balabac Island around 4:00 in the morning and assessed the boat was already out of danger.
DILG Regional Director Wilhelm Suyko, supported the skipper’s judgment saying, this is a realization on the part of the national government that a local government must continue its existence in the distant island where countries around the region have been claiming ownership of the islands in area if only to show to the whole world that our sovereignty is asserted.
Director Suyko said the incident may lead to a failure of plebiscite in the island municipality. It was learned that the local COMELEC had requested but failed to get a government aircraft for some reason. ##