Poe asks PCG to intensify search ops for 14 missing Pinoys in Mindoro sea collision

Senator Grace Poe on Friday said the government must exhaust all resources to ramp up the search operations for the 14 Filipinos who went missing after their fishing boat collided with a Hong Kong cargo vessel off Mindoro.

In a statement, the senator said the Philippine Coast Guard may also tap partners from neighboring countries to augment the sea and air assets deployed.

"Every day counts. We should not let down the families of the 14 Filipinos awaiting the safe return of their loved ones. Anim na araw na ang nakakaraan. Matagal na ang paghihintay ng kanilang mga mahal sa buhay," Poe said.

"The public expect no let-up in the search for our countrymen as we await the result of the investigation that will shed light on the real incident and hold the erring party liable for this mishap," she added.

According to the PCG, the fishing boat FV Liberty 5 and Hong Kong cargo vessel MV Vienna Wood figured in a sea collision on Saturday night. The incident was reported by the cargo vessel's captain on Sunday morning.

The PCG on Friday said it will file charges against the operators of the Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/745308/coast-guard-to-file-charges-vs-hk-vessel-in-mindoro-sea-collision/story/

Meanwhile, the chance of finding survivors of the incident is "slim," according to PCG Commandant Vice Admiral George Ursabia Jr.

"Slim na ang chance na makita natin silang buhay, kaya retrieval na ang magiging punto namin in the next two days. After that, we will evaluate if there is a need to extend for two more days or we will terminate our efforts on this," he said. —LDF,GMA News