GenSan fisherman rescued in Palau

A fisherman from General Santos City who was lost at sea during a storm last May has been found and rescued in Palau. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday that the Philippine Embassy in Koror assisted Jonathan Tawameo, who was lost at sea and landed on an uninhabited island. Embassy Charge d'Affaires J. Anthony Reyes reported that Tawameo piloted a 14-foot fishing boat that operated with a larger fishing vessel. Tawameo's ordeal began on May 17, when he left the mother ship to fish alone. Tawameo claimed that he noted the signs of low pressure forming in the area, indicating a coming storm. He returned to where the mother ship was, but found it had left. Tawameo said that he was caught in the storm and drifted for ten days, subsisting on rainwater and fish. On May 27 he navigated his boat to a small, uninhabited island, where he found an unoccupied hut, and fishing gear. He sustained himself for three days by eating wild papaya and fish. A Palau resident spotted and rescued him, and brought him to Sonsorol Island, where the local folk treated him with hospitality. The villagers radioed the marine authorities of Palau, which dispatched a patrol boat to bring him to Koror, some 800 kilometers away. The boat arrived there on June 28. The Philippine Embassy at Koror met Tawameo and interviewed him. Tawameo flew to Cebu City on July 18, where he was met by a representative of his boat's owner, who then facilitated his onward trip to General Santos City. - GMANews.TV