NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
A Boholano working as chef of an international cargo vessel was confirmed missing while the ship was nearing Singapore from Europe last Thursday.
The chef, identified as Mark “Aljohn” Dilag, was reportedly missing from his cabin hours before their ship loaded with vehicles was scheduled to dock at the port of Singapore last Thursday.
The 30-year-old Dilag was the chef master of “M/V Ace Azul”. He finished hotel and restaurant management (HRM) at a Tagbilaran City-based university.
The missing Boholano is a resident of barangay Bakilid, Dimiao town.
The family received a call from Splash Philippines, Inc. the Manila-based manning agency which hired Dilag informing them that the Boholano chef was no longer in his cabin Thursday morning. The crew checked on him as there was no breakfast prepared that morning, according to Michael Angelo Dilag, brother of the missing chef.
The agency informed them that after the crew could not find Dilag on board their ship, the cargo vessel returned to its route hoping to find the Boholano chef.
After six hours of search, the vessel docked at the Singapore port and reported the incident to the Singapore Coast Guard which committed to conduct its search and rescue operations.
“We were not satisfied with how the agency is handling the incident,” Dilag told the Chronicle yesterday.
Meanwhile, the family of the missing chef sought assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Director Jun Aguilar of the Department of Migrant Workers has called a representative of Splash Philippines, Inc to be present during a hearing scheduled tomorrow morning at the OWWA office.
