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TWO survivors of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars said the passengers pleaded with the captain to deviate from the normal route and hide while the winds were too strong.
Oliver Amorin. 31, and fellow survivor Jessie Buot, who arrived yesterday on board a Superferry liner from Manila,.were presented in a press conference yesterday before the relatives of the other victims at the action center inside the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
Amorin, a Palaweño residing in Cebu, said after their breakfast at around 8 a.m. last Saturday, while in the vicinity of Romblon, some of the passengers were already begging the crew not to proceed with their trip and instead find a place for the ship to hide.
“Giingnan ang kapitan sa mga pasahero nga motago lang una kay kusog kaayo ang hangin,” Amorin said.
Buot said “mingreklamo mi nila nga dili ta mag-suicide, kay daku kaayo ang mga balod.”
But they said the crew later told them that the captain decided to proceed with their voyage and even advised them not to panic as the MV Princess of the Stars is a very big boat with over 23,000 gross tonnage.
The captain assured us that the situation is manageable, Amorin said.
Bu-ot a native of Siquijor who was in Manila to visit his girlfriend, said that those passengers who were not able to get outside following the order to abandon ship had no chances of surviving.
“Ang uban wa manggawas labi na ang mga babaye (the others did not come out, especially the women),” Bu-ot said.
About 10:30 a.m., Amorin said all passengers were ordered to wear life jackets and about 11 a.m., they were told to prepare themselves.
“Giingnan mi nga mag-andam sa among kaugalingon,” he said.
Abandon ship
Buot said that at 11:30 am, the ship was already listing heavily when he heard the captain order everyone to prepare to abandon ship.
Buot, who was at the economy section in the lower portion of the ship, said that he tried his best to climb up the stairs.
“Naningkamot gyud ko nga maka-abot sa taas, mingkamang gani ko aron makalusot kay naghuot na ang mga tawo sa ubos,” (I tried my best to reach the top. I even crawled in going up because the people were so jampacked downstairs.”
He said that when he reached the bridge of the boat, he removed his pants and just only wearing his briefs so he would not have difficulty in swimming. He noted that all the passengers were wearing life jackets.
When the captain gave the order to abandon ship, he said he went outside and jumped into the sea after wearing a life jacket.
The two swam for six hours and reached the shore of barangay Mabini, San Fernando, Romblon.
“Sus pa-it kaayo, kinsa magtuo nga mabuhi pa ko (It was so horrible. Who would have thought that I'd survive)? he said.
They were brought to Manila from Romblon, and arrived Cebu yesterday morning on board a ship.
He said even until they got to Cebu, no one from Sulpicio Lines shouldered their expenses. “Wa gyoy taga Sulpicio ni abugar sa among gasto, ang taga Superferry maoy nagpasakay namo,” said Bu-ot.
Ten other survivors already arrived on Tuesday on board a Philippine Airlines flight on Tuesday evening.
Manuel Espina, spokesman of the Sulpicio Lines said that other survivors chose to remain in Manila.
Cadavers
Espina also informed the waiting relatives yesterday that all the retrieved bodies will be brought to Cebu, and thanked Mayor Tomas Osmeña for convincing Malacanang to have the cadavers brought to Cebu.
Majority of the 864 people on board the ill-fated ship came from Cebu and neighboring provinces.
The Sulpicio Lines sent another ship, the MV Cagayan Princess, to Romblon yesterday bringing some embalmers to handle the bodies. The boat is also bringing additional body bags and other needed items.
Espina said that the MV Cebu Princess will bring the first batch of cadavers to Cebu but he could not say exactly when.
Espina answered that the company will exhume the cadavers already buried in some of the islands and bring them to Cebu.
Chief Supt. Roderos said cadavers which have already been embalmed will be transferred to the chapel inside Camp Sergio Osmeña for families to identify.
But Roderos, who is tasked to release the cadavers to concerned families, clarified that not everyone can go inside the chapel as only one or two representatives per member would be allowed inside. /Ma. Bernadette A. Parco, Chito O. Aragon, Chris A. Ligan and Nilda Gallo
