A drifting passenger boat carrying 120 voters was rescued Tuesday by the Philippine Navy off Tawi-Tawi, Major General Gerardo Barrientos, commander of the Joint Task Force “Zambasulta” (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi), said Wednesday.
“The report says here that the boat conked out and had been drifting for three hours before they were found and rescued by our Navy,” Barrientos said.
In a statement, Navy spokesman Lued Lincuna confirmed the rescue operation by personnel of the gunboat Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas Dioscoro Papa (PG 381).
Barrientos said the gunboat was patrolling in the area when they spotted the drifting M/L Rabson overloaded with passengers in the vicinity of Sibutu and Sitangkai Islands at around 12 noon Tuesday.
The passenger boat was skippered by a certain Mudap Amidil.
“It was learned that the vessel had been dead on the water for more than three hours already after incurring engine trouble. It was carrying around 120 passengers who had just voted in Sitangkai municipality,” Lincuna said.
Some of the passengers were transferred to the Navy gunboat and towed the passenger boat to Bongao town.