Search continues for missing outrigger boat in Palawan waters

Coast guard officials on Tuesday continued to search waters off the coast of Palawan for the missing 11 passengers and crew members of a motorized outrigger boat that was reported missing since Saturday afternoon. Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant, said they were hoping that the passengers and crew members were still alive. He said search and rescue (SAR) teams from the Coast Guard, Southern Tagalog Naval Forces and the 505th Air Force Squadron have been deployed to look for the missing vessel and its eight passengers and three crew members. Their efforts to locate the boat and the passengers as Monday night failed to show positive results. The PCG Southern Tagalog District learned of the missing vessel around 4:50 p.m. Saturday as reported by the president of M4 Construction and Maintenance Services, Inc., a contractor of Smart Telecommunications Inc. in Coron, Palawan. They said the vessel left San Jose town in Mindoro Occidental for Coron, Palawan around 4 a.m., the same day. Only seven of the 11 missing persons were identified, namely Russel Claveria, Arvin Dalisay, Rolando Gilmar, Ruelito Javier, Rouel Magtibay, Reynaldo Monterey and Bon Velasquez.-GMANews.TV