ILOILO City – President Rodrigo Duterte last night released financial assistance to the families of 31 persons who drowned after three motorboats capsized in the Iloilo Strait on Aug. 3.
Thirteen of the casualties were at the Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes and Crematory, Inc. in Barangay Balabago, Jaro district yesterday. The President condoled with the families.
Duterte was supposed to visit the wake of the other casualties in the island province of Guimaras, too, but his trip was cancelled due to poor visibility.
The President arrived at the Iloilo Airport past 6:30 p.m. Among his entourage were Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Presidential Assistant for Visayas Michael Diño.
He did not issue a public statement to the media but talked to the families at Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes and Crematory.
Past 7:30 p.m. he left for the Iloilo Airport and boarded an airplane back to Manila.
The casualties at the Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes and Crematory were nine members of the Baguio family from Cebu: Romeo Janson Baguio Jr., 29, and son Jay Arvien, three; Angelina Janson Baguio, 54; Bernardo Reyes Janson, 56; Jared Siton Janson, four; Danelle Baguio, three; Danilyn Alma Baguio, 27; Rommel Sanson Baguio, 31; and Romeo Campus Baguio Sr., 56; Iloilo City residents Jhen Lloyd Jay Salanatin, nine, and brother Jhaeron Mars, 14, their grandmother Adora Selorio Java, 54; and Lemmy Rombla, 54.
Aside from the financial assistance of P50,000 for each bereaved family, the President also gave them mobile phones.
Senator Go also gave the families a separate financial assistance.
“Madamo nga salamat kay President Duterte nga ginhatagan kami bulig,” said Joan Java Salanatin, mother of Jhen Lloyd Jay and Jhaeron Mars.
But she added, “Indi mabaylohan sang kwarta ang kabuhi sang kabataan namon kag sang iloy namon.”
Also present at the Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes and Crematory was the husband of another casualty, Maria Emilie Legarda, 52, head of the Filipino Department of Lambunao National High School. Roque Arde Legarda also received financial assistance.
“Kahit paano makabulig gid ang assistance sa amon (pero) gusto ko buhi ang asawa ko,” said Legarda.
For her part, survivor and mother of one of the casualties, Maria Nieves Grandeza of Buenavista, Guimaras said she was grateful for the assistance, too.
According to Grandeza, 28, the weekend trip from Guimaras, her home province, to Iloilo City was supposed to be a happy one.
Hours before the tragedy, her family met the family of her long-time Cebu-based partner Romeo Janson Baguio Jr. for the customary palamaye – the Filipino tradition of a man and his family visiting his future bride’s family to ask for her hand in marriage.
As their boat,M/B Jenny Vince, was negotiating the rough Iloilo Strait the clouds above suddenly turned gray, said Grandeza, mother of three-year-old casualty Jay Arvien.
It then rained heavily and strong winds started rocking their boat violently until it capsized.
It was a squall, a sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm, the Philippine Coast Guard would later say.
Grandeza lost both Romeo Jr. and their son, and other Baguio family members./PN
