Binangonan capsizing survivor: Broken outrigger caused vessel to roll

One of the 40 survivors of the Binangonan boat capsizing clarified that the passengers did not panic and a broken outrigger caused the craft to roll and capsize.

During a joint hearing of the Senate Public Services and National Defense Committees, survivor John Marley Delos Reyes testified that there were life vests on the boat but they were not instructed to wear them.

Delos Reyes added that after sailing from shore, boat captain Donald Añain turned the craft to fetch eight more passengers who were not able to catch the trip.

“May humabol pang walong passengers para sumakay. Ang ginawa niya binalik niya pa yung bangka para kunin po yung walo. Yun po ba yung hindi kontrolado? Kailangan balikan yung walo na alam mo naman po na overload kami?” Delos Reyes said.

(Eight more passengers wanted to catch the trip. What he did was he steered the boat back to the shore to pick up the eight passengers. Is that what you called uncontrolled? That you have to return for the eight passengers knowing that we were already overloaded?)

A motorcycle, rice, grocery items, and textiles, were among the items loaded on the boat.

Outrigger breaks

Delos Reyes also recounted that the waters were “not normal” and “not calm.”

Five to 10 minutes into the trip, a heavy downpour and strong winds suddenly hit the boat prompting them to drop the tarpaulin on the sides and back of the boat so they would be shielded from the downpour. Some of the passengers used their umbrellas.

Delos Reyes said he was taking a video of the situation when the boat's outrigger suddenly broke.

He said the passengers screamed but they did not panic. Most locals know that they should not move in this kind of situation while on a boat.

“Kaya natigil po yan (video recording) dahil nabali ang katig that moment. Yung nabali po yung katig, thats is why napunta po kami sa kaliwa,” he said.

(I stopped taking a video because the outrigger broke at that moment. Because of the broken outrigger, we all slid to the left side of the boat.)

As the boat tilted, the passengers started to save themselves.

Delos Reyes said that it was difficult for the victims to save themselves because they were trapped by the tarpaulin.

“Siguro almost 20 seconds na akong kakawag-kawag sa loob ng bangka. Hindi po kami makalabas kasi po yung trapal is nakaharang. Na-trap po kami,” he said.

(Maybe I was struggling inside the boat for 20 seconds. We couldn't get out of it because the tarpaulin was blocking us. We were trapped.)

“Kumbaga po isda may mga net hindi po makawala talaga (Like fish, we could really not get out of the net),” he added.

After finding a light from a small slit on the tarpaulin, Delos Reyes, who is a non-swimmer, was able to save himself. Then, a stranger rescued him from the water.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said 27 people died while 40 survived the capsizing off Binangonan.

The M/B Aya Express had a capacity of 42 people, but it was overloaded with over 60 people.

It was also discovered that the boat captain had no valid license from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

An initial investigation showed the boat left the Port of Binangonan on July 27 and was en route to Talim Island when it was hit by strong winds 45 meters from land.

MARINA suspended the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (PSSC) of the M/B Aya Express “effective immediately until further notice" after the incident.

“The decision to suspend the safety certificate is in response to the unfortunate sea incident, which raises concerns about the integrity of the ship's hull, integral parts, and other affected machineries/appliances,” MARINA said.

The PCG filed a syndicated estafa complaint against the owner of the M/B Aya Express, the boat captain, and an association for supposed fraud and misrepresentation. — DVM, GMA Integrated News