Personnel of the Coast Guard District Palawan (CGD) rescued early Thursday morning a man who reportedly jumped from an international bulk carrier vessel while it was transiting the waters northeast of Indalawan Bay in the municipality of Balabac on the eve of March 20.
Lieutenant Commander Christian Jazmin, spokesperson of the Coast Guard District Palawan (CGDP) and station commander of the Coast Guard Brooke’s Point (CGBP), identified the “man overboard” as Ammar de Leon, 37, crew of MV SBI Aries, and a resident of Nueva Ecija.
“Sa ngayon nasa Coast Guard Substation (CGSS) Balabac siya at nagre-recover. Wala naman siyang sugat. Tumalon po siya, nag-man overboard siya sa boat parang ganoon, according to him as per initial investigation, pero hindi pa natin confirmed. According sa kanya ay meron daw threat sa buhay niya [sa vessel],” Jazmin told Palawan News in a phone interview.
The crew of MV SBI Aries, headed by captain Robert Margitic, alerted the CGDP about the incident about 11:20 p.m. on March 20, informing De Leon had possibly jumped overboard.
He was found by a search and rescue (SAR) team on board TB Tubbataha Uno skippered by captain Joey Sta. Maria around 2:10 a.m. the next day, March 21.
“Tutulungan natin si De Leon na makabalik sa probinsya niya para makasama niya ang pamilya niya,” Jazmin said.
The bulk carrier vessel has 16 Filipino, three Croatian, and one Greek crew.
