At least 13 tourists, mostly senior citizens, were rescued in Iloilo after their motorbanca submerged on their way to Gigantes Island in Carles town. 

The incident happened in the waters of Buenavista of the said town at 9:30 a.m. on February 9, 2026.

The tourists are from Luzon.

In a GMA Super Radyo Iloilo interview with Ensign El John Ga, spokesperson of the Philippine Cost Guard (PCG) Iloilo Station, he said that the boat left Bancal Port, Carles with four crew members at 8:30 a.m. for supposed island-hopping activity to Gigantes Island.

After over an hour to the voyage, a squall occurred. Huge waves struck the boat.

Crew members asked help immediately from the Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Police.

No one was hurt in the incident. Authorities cited that letting the tourists wear life vests throughout the journey was of tremendous help.

Ga said that based on PCG-Iloilo's initial investigation, the weather was fine when the boat left Bancal Port.

The boat has a passenger capacity of 30 persons, which dispels suspicions that it is overloaded.

Following the incident, PCG Iloilo has reiterated its advice to tourists and motorbanca operators to be alert, to be vigilant, and to check weather conditions regularly to avoid a similar incident.