3 FISHERS MISSING, 5 SURVIVE ON FISH AND ‘LUMOT’ AFTER BOAT COLLISION

Three Filipino fishermen remain missing after their boat, Prince Elmo 2, was rammed by an unidentified vessel in the West Philippine Sea on January 30.
The eight fishermen, who had departed from Naic, Cavite on January 17, were hit off Occidental Mindoro’s Lubang Island and swept away by strong currents.
On February 16, five of the men were rescued by the Vietnamese cargo ship MV Dong An near the Spratly Islands after surviving on fish and algae.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has launched an investigation into the incident and deployed the BRP Boracay to assist the rescued fishermen.
This ramming incident follows a pattern of similar events involving Filipino fishing boats, including the 2019 Gem-Vir 1 and 2023 Dearyn incidents, both of which also involved foreign vessels.