PRRD may visit victims of Iloilo mishap

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at the Freedom Residences in Tagum City on July 16, 2019. RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte may visit the victims of the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait mishap where three motor bancas capsized due to bad weather, drowning more than 20 people, Malacañang said on Monday.

“Given the character and style of the President, that’s a probability,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Panelo, meanwhile, expressed the Palace’s condolences to the families of the victims who died during the mishap.

“The Palace expresses its sincerest condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the people who died at sea following the capsizing of three vessels due to strong waves produced by a squall while in transit from Iloilo City to Guimaras,” Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo said the Office of the President directed all concerned departments and agencies, including the Philippine Coast Guard, the Maritime Industry Authority and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, to provide immediate assistance to the sea mishap’s victims.

The concerned agencies were also tasked to refine their coordination efforts in safeguarding the security of the public especially during this rainy season.

Panelo said whoever is responsible for securing the folks during storms “should exercise more prudence, caution, and should give the people more guidelines relative to facing this kind of disasters.”

At present, maritime agents continue conducting search and rescue operations in the naval areas affected by the bad weather.

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head Donna Magno, designated spokesperson for the accident, said investigation will provide answers on why the motorboats were allowed to sail amid inclement weather.