Butuan dad declares August 23, 2013 as 'A Day of Mourning' for sea mishap victims

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA) – Pursuant to Proclamation No. 03 series of 2013, Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr of this city declared August 23, 2013 as "A Day of Mourning" for all Butuanons. 

This is in connection with the August 16, 2013 incident where M/V St. Thomas Aquinas sank off the coast of Cebu City resulting to the death of 37 passengers from Caraga region, including five passengers from Butuan City.

The city government and the Sangguniang Panglungsod, together with their officers and staff, are one with the bereaved families of the victims and deeply commiserate in their sorrow.

Mayor Amante also bared that as of August 22, 48 passengers still remain missing and are subject of ongoing search and rescue/retrieval operations.

“I hereby enjoin all the public institutions within the jurisdiction of the city to lower the Philippine flag to half-mast for three days beginning today, August 23,” he said. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)