He clung to a piece of wood

The 41-year-old truck driver of Norkis Group of Companies was one of the first survivors to surface from the wreck of mv Princess of the Stars. He was found alive on Sibuyan island hours after the ship sank.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Gica returned home to his family.

He said there are two things he will always remember about his ordeal: the piece of wood that kept him afloat and the fisherman who pulled him to shore.

But when Gica, along with two other Norkis employees, boarded MV Princess of the Stars in Manila on June 20, he said the weather was still warm. There was no sign of the storm.

It was “a beautiful night,” Gica said in Bisaya.

He said he and his companions had a good sleep on their individual bunks inside the enclosed, air-conditioned tourist area, second from the top floor.

When they woke up at 6:00 a.m. the next day, the ship was already near Romblon. Gica said they had a pleasant breakfast in what he described was a beautiful morning.

Strong waves began rocking the ship at 8:30 a.m. But because the swaying eventually ceased, the sea marshals assured them they were safe.

“Huwag na kayo mag-alala; nalampasan na ang bagyo (Don’t worry, we’ve passed the storm),” Gica quoted the sea marshals as saying.

An hour later, however, the waves picked up again. This time, the ship’s rocking did not stop.

From 9:30 a.m. until noon, Gica said, the wind was very strong and the waves rose higher than the ship. The waves were as big as houses, he said.

This prompted the ship’s crew to advise passengers to wear life vests at 10:00 a.m. According to Gica, there were about 100 passengers in the 5th floor tourist-class room and each of them had a life vest on.

At 11:30 a.m., the crew asked the passengers to get out of their cabins and bunks. Gica and his companions went out of the tourist room to the balcony outside.

Some passengers, especially the women and the elderly, however, feared going outside. The wind was so strong it swept them away. An old woman slipped on the wet
floor and hit her head on the railing. The fall caused the back of her head to bleed.

Gica said that even if one side of the ship began to sink, the ship’s engine and electricity were still functioning.

And as the ship slowly sank, life rafts were released, prayers were said and screams for help rang out from the different floors of the vessel.

When Gica and his two companions jumped, the sea was already filled with passengers.

Gica saw a plank of wood painted blue that looked like a piece from one of the vessel’s benches. He and his companions clung to it but a wave separated them.
He later found the wood again, but not his companions.

He also found an old woman and shared the plank of wood with her. Another wave hit them and when he saw her again, she was already dead.

Gica said he floated on the piece of wood and hoped the waves would bring him to shore. Countless times, a wave pushed him underwater but he surfaced because of his life vest. Each time he surfaced after being submerged, he would find the plank of wood.

After five hours of floating, Gica saw the mountains of Sibuyan, and a wave slammed him against a rock. Though he sustained a deep cut in the forehead, he clung to the rock because he already felt like fainting.

That was when a fisherman, who lived in a little hut in Sibuyan, found him and dragged him ashore.

The fisherman fed him, though the only food he had was a bit of rice. Gica said he gobbled up the food even if it had already started to spoil.

The fisherman dressed him and let him sleep. But Gica said he could not rest, because whenever he closed his eyes, he would cry and see the bodies of the sunken vessel’s passengers.

Police brought him the next day to the Sibuyan mayor’s house.

Gica never got the fisherman’s name, but said he gave him the dark blue Norkis sweatshirt that he had worn, since the fisherman said he liked to wear sweatshirts while fishing.

But while Gica’s wife, Morena, was all smiles to sit beside her husband yesterday afternoon, Chona Tuston fainted at the Cebu City Sports Complex upon learning that
her husband Arnulfo’s body was found dead in San Pascual.

She received a text message from an unidentified person, whom she and her sister called up.

The person said Arnulfo’s corpse was found and in one of his pockets was her cellphone number. He was also wearing a wedding ring engraved “Chona”.

“Bahala namatay, basta napalgan na (Even if he’s dead, at least he has been found),” Chona said when she recovered.

While Morena thanked God for her husband’s “second life”, Chona said she was grateful that, at least, she has received “clarity” and a body to claim.

Yesterday, five other survivors of the sinking arrived in Cebu: Jonathan Pendon, Exuterio Pendon, Danilo Templenza, Renato Lanurias, and Rico Padin.

Yesterday morning, a man’s body was found off the waters of an island near Daanbantayan. Police, however, have yet to find out whether the corpse is that of one of the missing passengers of Princess of the Stars.

A group of fishermen aboard a small fishing boat found the body off Isla de Gato in Daanbantayan. They brought the body to the nearby Cinatarcan Island off Sta. Fe town. They arrived in Cinatarcan at about 10 a.m.

Vilma Dawa, barangay captain of Hagdan in Cinatarcan, said they had no choice but to bury the corpse because it was already in a state of decomposition and they did
not want to risk health problems if they waited any longer.

However, they took note of his features.

The man was reportedly wearing a white T-shirt, was down to his underwear and had a wedding band on his finger.

They also took photographs of the man.

Rolando Villacarlos, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President of Sta. Fe, said they made sure the burial ground was not too deep in case the man is identified and claimed by his family.

Villacarlos, also the barangay captain of Langob in Cinatarcan Island, said the man was barely recognizable as his body was bloated.

He said they could not yet ascertain if he was one of the victims of the sunken Sulpicio liner or one of those who were declared missing after Typhoon Frank struck.

Dawa and Villcarlos had to travel to Sta. Fe town to have the incident reported to the Sta. Fe Police Station.

Passengers scrambled for rafts on doomed ferry

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - Passengers and crew pushed and shoved for precious space on life-rafts minutes before Princess of the Stars capsized in typhoon-whipped waters in the central Philippines last weekend.

But Jesus Gica was wise enough not to join the fray.

After seeing how overloaded the dinghies were, the truck driver figured he'd have more luck jumping straight into the water.

"There was chaos and confusion," Gica, 41, told Reuters from his home in Mandaue city, on the central island of Cebu, on Thursday.

"Children were crying, the women were screaming and most of the men were rushing to leave the ship."

When the seven-storey passenger ferry left Manila on Friday night, conditions were calm.

Typhoon Fengshen was forecast to sweep the east of the archipelago and swing back out into the Pacific Ocean. Instead, it lurched westward, right through the centre of the country towards the ferry with gusts of up to 195 kph.

On Saturday morning, the weather turned ferocious and waves taller than the near-24,000 tonne vessel slammed into the ferry. In the lower-deck economy cabins, people took to their beds.

A crew member ordered everyone to put on life-vests. Less than half an hour after the vessel started listing, it capsized.

In the stampede for life-rafts, most of the women, children and elderly were left behind.

"They were afraid to leave because of the strong winds and gigantic waves. They all went down with the ship," said Gica.

"I wore two life vests and waited for the water level to rise before jumping into the water," he said.

Dozens of people were floating all around him but each time a wave smacked in, fewer and fewer of them would return to the surface.

He grabbed on to a piece of wood and held on for six hours before he was washed ashore. A fisherman fed him and gave him warm clothes.

"This is my second life. I owe it to God for giving me the strength and faith to survive," he said.

He repaid the fisherman with 1,000 pesos ($23) and the shirt he was wearing in the water.

"It was a souvenir for his heroism."

mv Princess of the Stars tragedy -Sun Star

A tribute to the Princess of the Stars

MV Princess of the Stars - TV Patrol June 24

115 bodies spotted in Burias, Camarines Sur - DOTC exec

S earchers scouring the areas near Sibuyan Island where the MV Princess of the Stars capsized have reported seeing 115 bodies floating near the province of Camarines Sur and Burias Island in Masbate.

A television report aired Wednesday night quoted a Philippine transportation official who said that the figure of 115 bodies was different from the 115 figure reported Tuesday.

"As of 9:30 p.m. today, we have sightings of 115 bodies somewhere in the vicinity between Burias Island and Camarines Sur and 15 bodies in the bridge level of the sunken vessel," Transportation undersecretary for Maritime Transport Elena Bautista said.

She was referring to the bridge section of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars which capsized off Sibuyan Island near Romblon where divers saw 15 bodies trapped.

"I'd like to stress that these are sightings and we still have to retrieve the actual bodies,"Bautista, who was interviewed over QTV's News on Q, added.

Of the 115 spotted near Camarines and Burias, seven have been recovered while only five were retrieved out of the 15 bodies trapped inside the MV Princess of the Stars bridge.

Bautista, who is also the head of Task Force 'Princess of Stars,' also said that authorities were still not sure if the 115 bodies spotted Wednesday came from the capsized ship.

Of the 115 bodies - all from the MV Princess of the Stars - recovered on Tuesday, 48 were survivors while 67 were fatalities.

An earlier report said that most of the bodies spotted Wednesday was based on sightings made by US planes which have been scouring the area for survivors.

The death toll of Typhoon Frank - based on National Disaster Coordinating Committee' latest data - was pegged at 288 people killed, 45 missing and another 165 injured.

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza said some 135 fishing vessels from Regions 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 sank at the height of typhoon Frank.

The sinking of the vessels resulted in the deaths of 10 fishermen and the rescue of 128 people.

However, another 137 seamen are still reported missing.

A ship which got caught in the typhoon - the MV Lake of Paoay - was carrying some 5,000 metric tons of coal from Semirara island to Toledo in Cebu City when it sank of the coasts of Carles in Iloilo.

Of its 30 passengers, four survivors were rescued but 19 others remain missing.

Presidential assistant for Western Visayas Raul Barias said Carles residents have expressed concern over the oil that started to leak from the sunken cargo vessel.

Barias said they are monitoring the developments closely as they prepare for clearing operations.

For her part, President Arroyo ordered the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to conduct a "systematic needs assessment" and to properly coordinate it with the United Nations following the expected downpour of aid from the international community.

Arroyo issued the directive during a video conference with members of the Cabinet and NDCC who were in Malacañang around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday in Manila.

The President said foreign leaders have already started to pledge aid.

She cited the offer of Hawaii governor Linda Lingle to send the National Guard stationed in Hawaii to help in search and rescue operations, and the offer of Spain which "has come forward and presented itself to help the country in its search and rescue efforts".

"You have to do the Needs Assessment systematically and apprise the different countries, knowing their respective capabilities," she said.

She added that there was a need for the country to inform international donors of specific requirements "to facilitate the immediate deployment of the respective country's pledge of aid".

Divers Find More Bodies

Divers of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Navy (PN) recovered six more bodies on Thursday afternoon from the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars which capsized off the waters of Sibuyan Island in Romblon on Saturday. The number of bodies recovered rose to 130.

As of 7 a.m. Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, said the number of survivors rose to 56.

Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, PCG commandant, said search and rescue and retrieval operations will continue as he appealed to relatives of the crews and passengers for understanding.

'The PCG and Navy divers are exhausted but exhaustion will not stop us to continue the operations,'
said Tamayo.

Tamayo appealed to the lawmakers for the passage of law to equip the PCG with global maritime distress and safety system.

'In 1999, the DOTC acquired a global maritime distress and safety system. We could have prevented many accidents had the PCG ably used the system. The DOTC provided the PCG of this kind of system but due to legal issues surrounding the contract for the acquisition, the Coast Guard was not able to use this (equipment). Hindi namin nabuksan ito, nabulok na lang and we think this is outdated na. With this system, the PCG can monitor vessels while sailing and can give instructions during distress and many accidents could have prevented if we have this kind of system,' Balilo said.

Meanwhile, the Sulpicio Lines (SLI) has sent Wednesday another one of its vessel, M/V Cagayan Princess, to help in the retrieval operations of the remaining bodies and rescue of survivors of the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars which capsized off the waters of Sibuyan Island in Romblon, Saturday.

In a press statement issued to the media, Lawyer Vic-Vic Florido, SLI spokesperson, disclosed the shipping company has been involved in the rescue operations from Day 1. It is continuously coordinating and cooperating with several government agencies involved in the operations including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), Philippine Navy (PN), Marina, and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the lead agency which is under the Department of Transportation and Communication to alleviate the ordeal of the victims and their families.

She said SLI has been conducting intensive search and rescue operations in coordination with, and under the leadership, of the PCG.

SLI initially dispatched two tugboats from Malayan Salvage and towage company and their M/V Cebu Princes last Sunday to help in the rescue of survivors and recover the casualties.

She said SLI also bought diving equipment, body bags, formalin, lime powder, and other supplies needed in the ongoing retrieval and rescue operations.

'Sulpicio Lines has not been remiss in its obligations to help all the victims and their families. We are doing everything to ease the burden wrought by the sinking of the ship due to typhoon Frank,' stressed Florido.

Immediately after the sea mishap, Florido asserted that SLI had already adopted specific measures to address the plight of those affected.

Sulpicio has set up public assistance and help desks in its Manila and Cebu offices, respectively, to address the concerns of relatives and loved ones of passengers and crew members aboard the ship.

Florido said meals are served to people who troop to the Sulpicio Lines offices while awaiting the latest news about their loved ones who were either passengers or crew members of the ill-fated ship.

At the same time, Florido sought for understanding in the process because of some 'unscrupulous individuals' who are taking advantage of this tragedy.

'We are making some validations,' added Florido as she assured Sulpicio Lines is exerting their best efforts and will not turn their backs on their obligations.

She guaranteed that Sulpicio will shoulder the transport of the bodies to their respective places, and the burial, but 'this has to undergo a process which include, among others, the presentation of all pertinent documents for proper identification.'

She said the shipping company commiserated with the victims and their relatives, and expressed their deepest sympathy to them.

Meanwhile, Sulpicio Lines, the country's biggest shipping company, extends their gratitude to the people who have been patronizing them for the past several years.

At the time of the accident, it was carrying more than 800 passengers and crew belying reports that it was overloaded. It has a capacity of more than 1,992 passengers. (Balita Pinoy - Philippine News & Analysis)