At least 16 government workers, including two police officers, were rescued after the speedboat they were riding capsized off Tumalutab, Zamboanga City morning on Friday, July 19, 2024.

Citing from a police report, the local government said the government workers were supposed to conduct assessment and evaluation of island barangays for the Seal of Good Local Governance for Barangay (SGLGB) of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The local government said the first boat the team was riding reportedly could not dock as it was low tide at that time, prompting the team to transfer to the speedboat that would ferry them to the port of Tumalutab.

However, the speedboat tilted to its side and capsized, eventually.

The government workers, among whom are representatives of the local government, were rescued by local fishermen and personnel of the Zamboanga City Police Station 4 and 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

All are safe with a few sustaining minor injuries.

SGLGB is a performance assessment and recognition system that aims to give distinction to barangays with remarkable performance across various governance areas.