PCG says MV Mercraft 2 captain in custody

The Philippine Coast Guard has custody of the captain of MV Mercraft 2, which caught fire early Monday morning, PCG spokesperson Armand Balilo said Tuesday.

"Hawak na rin namin ang kapitan ng fast craft. Magsisimula na kaming magtanong ngayong araw at maliliwanagan tayo kung saan talaga nangyari... Gugulong ang imbestigasyon sa mga susunod na araw," Balilo said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(We have custody of the captain of the fast craft. We will start asking questions today to make it clear exact site the vessel caught fire. The investigation will begin tomorrow.)

The PCG earlier identified the boat captain as John Lerry Escareces. 

Balilo said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) wants to investigate all the angles to determine the cause of the fire. The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), he added, will also conduct a parallel investigation.

At least seven people died after MV Mercraft 2 that followed a Polillo-Real-Polillo travel route, caught fire off the coast of the province of Quezon.

Balilo said that 24 persons were injured and three of them are in critical condition.

There were 134 persons onboard the fast craft, of whom 126 are passengers, and eight are crew members.

All the crew members survived, Balilo said.

The PCG will look into all physical evidence to determine the cause of the fire and also check if hazardous materials were present.

"May mga nagsasabi na may narinig silang pagsabog mula sa engine, base sa mga nakalap namin sa inisyal na pagtatanong sa mga nakaligtas na pasahero," Balilo said.

(Based on initial inquiries made to surviving passengers, there were persons who said that they heard an explosion from the engine room.)

"Kung sa engine room nagsimula (ang sunog), dapat hindi nakaligtas ang crew na nandoon... Maaaring hindi doon nagsimula ang sunog," he added.

(If the fire started in the engine room, the crew would not have survived. The fire may not have started there.)

All the passengers were listed in the manifest, Balilo said, adding that the weather had nothing to do with the incident.

"Hindi naman masyadong luma ang fast craft pero hindi natin alam kung prone ito sa sunog dahil gawa ito sa fiber glass... Pero pumasa naman ito sa standards kaya ipinagpapalagay natin na ito ay seaworthy," he said.

(The fast craft is not very old but we do not know if it is prone to fires because it is made of fiberglass. However, (the vessel) passed the standards so we assume that it is seaworthy.) 

Mother among fatalities

Among those who perished, Balilo said, is the captain's mother.

“Hawak namin yung kapitan. Yung report, namatay yung kanyang nanay at yung kanyang ama ay nakaligtas na kasama niya ring bumiyahe,” he said in a separate interview on Unang Balita.

(The captain is in our custody. Based on the report, the captain’s mother died while the father was safe. They traveled together.)

Among the seven identified fatalities was Charito Escareces, 57 years old.

As to those who have to account for the accident, Balilo said, "Papanagutin ang kailangang panagutin ([We will] hold accountable those who need to be held accountable)." —BAP/KG/KBK, GMA News