PCG SEARCHES FOR PASSENGER WHO FELL FROM CARGO VESSEL IN BATANGAS

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) continues its search for a passenger who fell from a cargo vessel in the vicinity waters off Calatagan, Batangas on Tuesday, October 31.

The passenger was identified as Ralph Bernard Gerona, a 26-year-old resident of Iloilo City.

Gerona was onboard MV Maligaya when he allegedly fell from the vessel around 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday.

MV Maligaya is a passenger vessel owned by 2GO Shipping Corporation.

According to the PCG, the vessel was enroute from Manila to Bacolod, and had 126 crew members and 425 passengers onboard, when the incident happened.

The PCG immediately alerted the Vessel Traffic Management Service (VTMS)-Corregidor operator regarding the incident.

Coast Guard Sub Station (CGSS) Calatagan conducted search and rescue operations, in coordination with the VTMS Batangas, Sea Marshall personnel of MV Maligaya and the CGSS Lubang.

“Despite extensive efforts, the victim was not located due to poor visibility, leading to the termination of the search operation at 6:20 p.m.,” the PCG said.

The PCG added that it will continue monitoring the situation and coordinate with relevant parties for updates on the search.