Fil-Am sailor among 7 dead in collision between US Navy destroyer, PHL-flagged ship

A Filipino-American was among the seven sailors who perished over the weekend following the collision between a US Navy destroyer and a Philippine-flagged vessel off Yokosuka, Japan.

Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan died with six others when their ship, USS Fitzgerald, collided with the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal on Saturday afternoon, according to the US Navy.

The 23-year-old Sibayan was a resident of Chula Vista in California, but on his Facebook account he said he's from Pasay City in the Philippines.

Friends described Sibayan as one with a "cheerful attitude."

"There was never a time that Carlos wasn't making people laugh," said Chase Cornils, a fellow cadet, in a report on San Diego Union-Tribune. "He always had a cheerful attitude and a smile on his face."

Aside from Sibayan, the other fatalities were:

• Gunner’s Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, of Palmyra, Va.
• Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, of San Diego, Calif.
• Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, of Oakville, Conn.
• Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, of Weslaco, Texas
• Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, of Halethorpe, Md.
• Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, of Elyria, Ohio

All the fatalities were crew of the USS Fitzgerald, reports said.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Sunday said none of the 20 Filipinos manning ACX Crystal was hurt in the incident.

"They are safe. The ship itself was slightly damaged from the incident," the DFA said.

A Reuters report said The Philippine-flagged ship was three times the US Navy destroyer's size. —KBK, GMA News

 

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