It’s been almost two weeks since they sailed from Siaton, Negros Oriental purportedly to go on a tuna fishing expedition but until now, there is no sign of the six missing people, including a foreign national and his girlfriend, amid ongoing search operations.
The Coast Guard in Dumaguete disclosed that as of Thursday evening, the motorboat that carried the six people have not been found, despite sea and air operations in southern Negros, as well as parts of Mindanao and even Palawan.
The missing persons were identified as Bradley Jay Fugate, 44, a chemist and a U.S. citizen from California and temporarily residing in Camanjac, Dumaguete City, his girlfriend, 19-year-old Cristina Tamondoc Andig, her brother Roseldo Andig, Jovie Fundador, Rey Tamondoc Benetes, and Elmer Aniñon Sabroso, the pump boat operator.
Except for Rey Benetes of Bais City, Negros Oriental, the other four Filipinos are from Siaton, a police report said.
Early police reports said that the six sailed off Feb. 13 to go tuna fishing somewhere between the seas of southern Negros Oriental and Mindanao.
They were reported to have failed to return at the end of the day, prompting Bonifacio Sabroso and Teresita Andig to seek police assistance.
Bonifacio Sabroso is the father of Elmer, and owns the 28-foot long and three-foot wide pumpboat, painted white and blue, which was rented for that fishing trip.
The Coast Guard in Dumaguete has alerted other stations in Mindanao, and as far as Cagayancillo in Palawan to be on the lookout for the missing pumpboat and its passengers.
On Feb. 17, the Coast Guard deployed to Dumaguete its Islander aircraft to participate in the search for the missing sea vessel but an aerial survey turned out negative with no signs of the motorboat.
The older Sabroso told a local television crew that his motorboat had a new engine with its tank full of fuel.
The Coast Guard, however, said the pumpboat was “overloaded”, considering its size which, ideally, cannot accommodate six people.
It was also reported though not confirmed that the passengers did not have life jackets with them when they sailed last Friday morning.
Meanwhile, sportsfishing individuals in Negros Oriental have alerted their angler-friends in Dipolog City to keep an eye for the small boat that could have drifted towards that direction.
