THE NETHERLANDS - A Filipina who opens her home to Filipino seafarers deployed in their area confirmed knowing one of the missing Pinoy on board the vessel Maria.
Lenie Lobaton who works as a hotel supervisor said she was sleepless when she heard the news about the collision.
The vessel Maria sank after colliding with fishing trawler Texel 68 at 1:30 a.m. on Monday on the North Sea off the Dutch coast.
"Nalaman ko yung news nung umaga sa rtl4 na may barkong lumubog pero alam ko kilala ko yun…sila yun. Kasi sila lang yung alam ko na barko na pumunta sa Den Helder na doon naka-duty," said Lobaton.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the reports, adding that the Dutch Coast Guard is still searching for the two missing crew members. The DFA said they will continue to monitor developments and will provide updates as soon as they are available.
Lobaton lives in the coastal town of Scheveningen. She said her home has been open to Filipino seafarers who wanted to drop by for a visit after their ships are docked at the nearby harbor.
She said that one of the missing Filipinos was the ship's captain who happened to visit her family three weeks ago.
Lobaton was sure that it was her friend who is still missing at sea as confirmed by her other seafarer friends who sent her the information they received from their own captains via text messages.
She added that her husband Jojo Vicente accompanied the seaman in April for a tour of Amsterdam.
"Isang beses naglalakad ako sa Keizerstraat tapos nakilala ko sila. Karamihan sa kanila nagbi-bisaya so pinansin ko sila kaya yung isa sa kanila nag sabi 'Ate, pwede ba kaming sumama sa inyo para lang kung nandito kami sa Scheveningen pupunta kami sa bahay nyo magi-inuman'," she said.
Lobaton said her missing friend told them that he will be staying in Den Helder until November and then will go back to the Philippines just in time for Christmas.
"Ang bait. Pag umuwi yan sa Pilipinas. Pag di kami nakontak talagang kokontak yan sa Schiphol na len uuwi na ko so magkita na lang tayo pagbalik ko kokontakin ko kayo. Tapos minsan di namin alam do doorbell na lang siya sa bahay talagang mabait siya sa ibang mga nakilala ko na seaman," she said.
Lobaton also showed the photo of the Maria ship and fishing boat that was posted on her husband's Facebook page. She added that they have toured the whole Maria ship.
She believes that the two Filipinos had difficulty escaping their sinking vessel as they were station very close to the upper deck.
"Kasi yung nasa taas sila sarado yun so di siguro sila agad nakatakbo. Kaya yung dalawa nakaligtas mabilis kasi sa me likod," she said.
Lobaton is not losing hope and is praying for the Pinoys as well as their families in the Philippines.
The vessel Maria had 5 crew members on board. Two of the crew members were rescued while three others, including the Filipinos, remain missing.
"The ship was deployed to guard an oil drilling platform about 40 kilometers southwest of the Dutch navy port of Den Helder," said Hernandez.
2 Pinoy seafarers missing in North Sea collision | ABS-CBN News
2 Pinoy seafarers still missing in North Sea after vessel collision
Originally Posted by Scott Bernard
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