There is still no sign of the six missing people, one a foreign national and his girlfriend who left Siaton, Negros Oriental, purportedly to go on a tuna fishing expedition about a week ago amid ongoing search operations.

The Coast Guard in Dumaguete said that as of Thursday night, the motorboat carrying the six people has not been found, despite sea and air operations in southern Negros as well as parts of Mindanao and even Palawan.

The missing persons were identified as Bradley Jay Fugate, 44, a U.S. citizen from California and temporarily residing in Camanjac, Dumaguete City, his girlfriend, 19-year old Cristina Tamondoc Andig, her brother, Roseldo Andig, Jovie Fundador, Rey Tamondoc Benetes, and Elmer Aniñon Sabroso, the pump boat operator.

Except for Rey Benetes of Bais City, Negros Oriental, the other four Filipinos are from Siaton, a police report said.

Early police reports said that the six sailed off February 13 to fish between the southern Negros Oriental and Mindanao seas.

They reportedly have failed to return that day, prompting Bonifacio Sabroso and Teresita Andig to seek police assistance.

Bonifacio Sabroso is the father of Elmer Sabroso and owns the 28-foot long and three feet wide pumpboat, painted white and blue, which was rented for that fishing trip.

The Coast Guard in Dumaguete has alerted other stations in Mindanao and as far as Cagayancillo in Palawan about the missing pumpboat and its passengers and on February 17, it deployed its Islander aircraft to join the search but an aerial survey turned out negative.

 The older Sabroso told a local television crew that his motorboat had a new engine and a tank full of fuel but the Coast Guard, said the pumpboat was “overloaded” as its size was small for six people.

Report said they did not have life jackets with them when they sailed.

Sport fishing individuals in Negros Oriental have also alerted their friends in Dipolog City to keep an eye at the boat that could have drifted there.*JFP

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