A Filipino fisherman, Rosalon Frans Cayon, 31, was rescued after spending eight days adrift at sea.
Rosalyn and his fellow angler, Junior, set off from Buliluyan Port in Palawan island to catch tuna in the South China Sea on December 20. After seeing enough tuna, they started to make their way back to the port on December 23. However, Rosalon’s boat had sprung a leak and capsized, leaving him stranded in the West Philippine Sea.
He survived by eating the tuna he had caught only days before, which he salted and sun-dried to make daing, a Filipino delicacy. He also used the ice inside a bucket to keep the tuna fresh, melting it to make drinking water that lasted for three days. When it ran dry, Rosalon was forced to rely on the odd bit of rain for water.
Using styrofoam boxes, Rosalon Jerry rigged a raft before his boat fully sank. He destroyed the boxes and used the parts to make a raft, which he rowed toward Rizal Reef. He also took the boat’s rudder to steer the raft. For his water, he was lucky there were occasional rains. If there were none, he just had to endure his thirst.
In what officials described as a “New Year’s miracle,” Rosalon caught the attention of a Chinese fishing boat called a sampan near the Commodore Reef on New Year’s Eve. The sampan crew gave him food and water before rushing him to a Philippine Navy base by the reef, where Rosalon received medical attention. He was in a “safe and stable condition,” the Western Command Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Facebook.
The country’s coast guard then organized his trip home to Brgy Rio Tuba from Buliluyan Pier. Capping off the “heartwarming tale of survival and resilience,” the Navy said Rosalon has since been reunited with his employers, whom he considers “family.” Rosalon’s sister, Che-che Cayon Quinicon, expressed gratitude to God and those who helped rescue her brother.
