Day 3 for the Search and Rescue Operation of Senior Fire Officer 1 (SFO1) Samalo B. Amparo who is still missing when their hired pumpboat capsized due to waves last November 1 in the evening between Brgy. Talisay, Nonoc island and Brgy. Sugbay, Bayagnan island, Surigao City.
The Search and Rescue Team of Philippine Coast Guard now employs drone to widen their search of the missing Fire Marshal of Dinagat SFO1 Samalo B. Amparo.
PCG Commander Lawrence Roque said today is their third day of search and rescue operation and with the aide of CDRRMO, they are now using drone to search coastal and mangrove areas of Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands with hope that Amparo is still alive.
As per incident report of the Dinagat Fire Station, Province of Dinagat Islands, SFO1 Samalo B. Amparo was reportedly missing since November 2, 2020 when he departed from Surigao City to Dinagat Islands onboard a pumpboat at around 6pm, Nov. 1, 2020. The said motorbanca was reportedly capsized due to big waves. At around 8:30am, Nov. 2, 2020, an information was received at the fire station that FO1 Peter Greg L. Miranda who was with SFO1 Amparo was rescued by the PNP, and up to this reporting time, SFO1 Amparo was nowhere to be found despite search and rescue efforts of both Surigao del Norte and Province of Dinagat Islands forces, said Lorna Bayer the PIO of BFP Caraga.
The small boat operator Janjan Bolandrina was able to return to Capalayan after the accident using only an empty container as his floating device while FO1 Peter Greg Miranda was able to grasp a coconut palm in the morning of November 2 before he was rescued by PNP Maritime, CIDG and PNP Mobile force between seawaters of Brgy. Talisay and Sugbay, Surigao City.
(Shela Salar, Mark James Lisondra, RPN DXKS Surigao)
The joint forces were serving a warrant of arrest of a wanted person of illegal fishing during that time where they saw Miranda floating in open waters asking for help.
The team failed to find the missing fire officer. Philippine Coast Guard in Surigao del Norte led by Commander Lawrence Roque said it was a false report that Amparo was in Bitaugan.
The drone video posted by Surigao City Public Information Office on this link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2810447045841481&id=100006286393480
(Source: SurigaoCity Pio Facebook page)