Six Fishermen Rescued After Boat Capsizes in Northern Samar

• Six fishermen were rescued after their boat partially capsized off the Northern Samar coast early on March 10. PDRRMO confirms all is safe.

Jazmin Bonifacio 5 months ago 4.9 K

Posted on Mar. 12, 2026 at 8:34 pm

TACLOBAN CITY — The Northern Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Rei Josiah Echano, confirmed this morning, March 12, 2026, in an interview that all six fishermen were rescued after their motorized wooden bangka partially capsized off the coast of Barangay Palanit, San Isidro, Northern Samar.

The incident occurred around 4:30 AM on March 10, 2026, in the “blue-water” area off San Isidro. The passengers were identified as Ruben Mones, Ramil Estido, Jeran Balag, Antonio Balag, “Alyas Boboy,” and one unidentified companion.

Authorities were alerted to the accident at 1:45 PM after Ruben Mones posted about it on Facebook. By 2:00 PM, Mones and one other companion had already been rescued by a local fisherman.

A Search and Rescue (SAR) operation was launched at 2:30 P.M. involving the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and a motorized bangka named PUZO. The search extended to Tagapul-an, Samar Island, but the four remaining men were not found on the first day.

The breakthrough came at 7:00 AM on March 11, when one of the missing men contacted his wife to report their survival in Barangay Conception, Cataingan, Masbate.

The survivors were confirmed safe and under the care of the PCG and municipal police. Ruben Mones took charge of the situation and led a team to retrieve his companions from Masbate. The rescue mission concluded at 12:45 A.M. on March 12, with all four fishermen safely reunited with their families in Barangay Balite.

Echano praised the coordination between local disaster offices, the Coast Guard, and community members, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in saving lives.