A young fisherman finally comes home to the Philippines by plane on Wednesday after being given up for dead at sea, fighting hunger, thirst, and despair for two long months on a tiny fishing boat that drifted to Papua New Guinea.
21 year old Rolando Omongos recounted his dreadful yet astonishing tale of survival. "I cried non-stop when I was rescued. I was too weak to stand up so they had to carry me," Rolando was rescued by a Japanese fishing vessel. He said he had to drink rain water to survive and moss growing at the hull of his 8 foot long boat. He frequently dives into the water to at least cool his body from the blazing heat of the sun.
Rolando wasn't really alone. As a matter of fact, he had his uncle with him. Although his uncle was on a second boat, Reniel Omongos, aged 31. Although his uncle died a month ago in sea, Rolando had to let his uncle's boat to sink because his corpse were starting to smell. Reniel died of hunger and thirst at sea. "God please take care of my uncle, I have to stay alive so that somebody would bring news to our kin." Rolando said in one of his prayers.
The men set off in their journey on December 21 with other fishermen aboard a purse sciner from General Santos, a southern Philippine port facing the Celebes Sea. The port lies 3,200 km from the PNG islands of New Britain, where the rescuers later dropped the survivor off.
A storm separated Rolando and his uncle from their mother boat on January 10, and their motor boats eventually ran out of fuel 5 days later. They later had to throw their boat engines overboard to avoid sinking and to be able to float higher.
"No fewer than 4 vessels would pass by us each day. I would wave at them but they would not stop for us" he said. The ships and fishing boats failed to see their tiny vessel 3-5 km away. "I never lost hope. I was still praying." he added.
When Rolando was found, he was already underweight. Weighing 20 kg from his original weight of 61 kg due to malnutrition. He vowed to never to step foot on a boat again and continue his studies.
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