By Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/Philippine News Agency
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Station in Antique province on Wednesday advised the 20 households located near the San Jose de Buenavista Fish Port to temporarily evacuate due to the danger posed by a drifting barge.
PCG Antique Station Lt. Commander Rodolfo D. de la Peña said the 988.84 gross ton barge “Corvus” is drifting toward the shoreline and has damaged four utility poles. This, after the wire cable securing the barge snapped Tuesday afternoon.
“The strong current and big waves brought by the southwest monsoon and enhanced by ‘Falcon’ caused the wire cable of the barge to snap,” de la Peña said.
He said due to existing high tide, the three crew members of the barge, could not go back to the sea using their tugboat to again anchor the drifting barge using wire cables. The crew members were all safe after the barge started drifting.
“With the barge still drifting, I am advising the households to temporarily evacuate their homes until the barge could be anchored,” he said.
Meanwhile, de la Peña said the owner of the barge, the Arbor Star Company, has already been informed of the incident and that they will be the ones to mediate with the San Jose de Buenavista local government unit about the repair of the damaged electrical posts at the fish port.
The barge has been moored near the fish port prior to the typhoon while waiting to transport sand and gravel from Bugasong town to El Nido, Palawan.
De la Peña also advised the fishermen not to venture out to the sea until such time that “Falcon” leaves the Philippine Area of Responsibility or the weather improves.
“So far, we have not monitored missing fishermen or passenger sea vessels,” he said.
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