Labor Secretary Silvester Bello III assured families of the officers and crew of Gulf Livestock 1 that search and rescue (SAR) operations would continue.
The Labor chief made the assurance during an interview with Kabayan Noli de Castro this morning after Japan Coast Guard announced last night that it would stop SAR operations for the crew of the livestock carrier that sank in the East China Sea last week.
Families of the remaining 36 crewmembers of the livestock carrier have expressed alarmed of the early termination of SAR operations.
Secretary Bello however said that Japan Coast Guard would continue the standard SAR operation, but it would no longer be using four patrol boats, divers and two airplanes.
“Tuloy pa rin ang rescue operation pero hindi na tulad ng last few days na full operations,” Secretary Bello said.
He added that the owner of the Gulf Livestock 1, Dubai-based Gulf Navigation Holding, had also sent ships to join the search
The secretary also strongly encouraged the families to continue praying for the safety of the 36 Filipino crewmembers of the Gulf Livestock 1.
