“We prayed to all the saints in heaven to save us,” one of the three fishermen, who survived Typhoon Frank even after the engine of their pumpboat conked out in the middle of the sea, said yesterday.

Florencio Palma, 27, said he and John Rey Amegable, 23, and Generoso Ganancial, 47, of Barangay Sebaste, Sibunag in Guimaras were about four kilometers from home at 5 p.m. Saturday when their engine went dead.

And as Typhoon Frank lashed, strong waves pushed them further away from home, he said.

 “We survived on prayers and  rain water that we squeezed out of our drenched shirts to drink, as we  cupped out the water filling our vessel,” Palma said.

At 3 p.m. Sunday their little pumpboat finally hit shore and they discovered that they were in EB Magalona, Negros Occidental, a place they had never been to.

They said local fishermen helped them fix their engine and gave them fuel to return home. Not having traveled as far as Negros Occidental before, they soon found themselves in Barangay Punta Taytay, Bacolod, without enough fuel to get to Guimaras yesterday morning.

So they approached Josh Abonales of the Philippine National Red Cross stationed at Alcala Beach in Punta Taytay who informed Barangay Captain Rufino Alcala about them.

Alcala provided them with the fuel they needed and the three fishermen finally headed home to their families who did not know they were alive.

Palma said he is a father of five, while Ganancial has six children.*CPG

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