A motorbanca owned by a barangay chairman submerged in the waters of Lapu-Lapu City.

Staff members of a dive shop in Barangay Maribago were the first to respond reportedly at the scene.

The boat submerged in the vicinity of Mundo Island at past 1 p.m. on September 16, 2024.

The motorbanca is owned by Subabasbas Barangay Chairman Ruben Patigdas.

According to Patigdas, a barangay worker asked for assistance to have her husband ferried from the island of Caubian to the mainland. The husband was reportedly having chills due to fever.

As the weather condition went favorable by late morning on that day, Patigdas decided to have the barangay worker’s husband fetched using his motorbanca.

However, without his knowledge, a few residents in Caubian hitched a ride. The passengers of the boat reached at least eight people, including the skipper of the vessel and the boatman.

Chief Petty Officer Richard Historia, commander of Coast Guard Cordova Substation, said that the engine of the motorbanca conked out while navigating near Mundo Island in Maribago.

It was learned that a gale warning was issued by state weather bureau PAGASA that prohibited small sea vessels or watercraft from sailing because of rough seas. 

No one was reported hurt in the incident.