01-08-2010 Philippine Coastguard Diver PSD

01-08-2010 Philippines - Armand Bonifacio- Coastguard PSD Deep DCS

Petty Officer Armand Bonifacio

Philippine diver dies raising wreck bodies: coastguard

http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3780753

1/8/2010

A Philippine coastguard diver died on Friday retrieving bodies from a ship that sank in deep water in Manila Bay last month, the coastguard service said.

The death, the cause of which was not immediately clear, was a grim footnote in a catalogue of shipping disasters to have hit the Philippines in recent years.

Petty Officer Armand Bonifacio lost consciousness while diving to the wreck of the Catalyn B, a small wooden ferry that sank on December 24 after hitting a steel-hulled fishing boat, local coastguard chief Commodore Luis Tuason said.

Although he regained consciousness after being pulled from the water and placed in a decompression chamber, Bonifacio died a few minutes later as he was being rushed to hospital. Hours earlier, he had retrieved the body of a woman from the sunken ship, said Tuason.

While the cause of death was not confirmed, the coastguard admitted they were taking a risk as the wreck was located in 67 metres (220 feet) of water, more than the 150 feet that is the divers' normal limit.

In an interview carried by the Philippine Star newspaper, coastguard deputy chief Lieutenant Commander Marcos Gines said the divers were using improvised equipment. "We knew that it would be a risky dive... but we thought of the families of the passengers," he said.

Officials said there were 11 confirmed dead from the sinking of the Catalyn-B and 16 still missing, their bodies believed trapped in the ship. Just days after the Catalyn-B went down, another ferry, MV Baleno-9, sank with six dead and 44 missing.

Coast Guard diver dies after retrieving body

http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/regions/01/08/10/coast-guard-diver-dies-after-retrieving-body

Jan 08 2010 ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - A deep-sea diver of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) died Friday afternoon after retrieving a body from the sunken ferry MV Catalyn B off Limbones Island in Cavite province.Commodore Luis Tuazon Jr., PCG-National Capital Region commander, said Petty Officer 3 Armand Bonifacio was declared dead on arrival at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center at 3:40 p.m..Tuazon said Bonifacio collapsed after he and his buddy, a certain Petty Officer Cahilig, retrieved a woman's body from the Catalyn B, which is sitting 221 feet under the waters off Limbones Island in Maragondon town.He said that based on the doctors' initial findings, the diver died after suffering from cardiac arrest. The PCG has asked the hospital to subject the diver's body to an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.The PCG has temporarily halted the retrieval operations for the trapped bodies inside the Catalyn B, which sank last December 24.The death toll in the Catalyn B's sinking has reached 11 after the retrieval of the woman's body. Forty-four passengers survived the mishap while 16 more remained missing.-- With a report from Dennis Datu, radio dzMM

Philippine coast guard diver dies during retrieval operation

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302679,philippine-coast-guard-diver-dies-during-retrieval-operation.html

08 Jan 2010

Manila - A Philippine coast guard diver died Friday from cardiac arrest after retrieving a body from a passenger ferry that sank during the Christmas holidays, officials said. Armand Bonifacio, a 43-year-old petty officer, collapsed after the morning dive off Cavite province, just south of Manila, where the MV Catalyn B sank on Christmas Eve.

Commodore Luis Tuazon, a coast guard regional commander, said Bonifacio was rushed to hospital but was declared dead on arrival. "Based on the initial findings of the doctors, petty officer Bonifacio suffered from cardiac arrest," Tuazon said.

Tuazon said the coast guard has temporarily halted retrieval operations of bodies trapped in the wreckage of the Catalyn B, which lies 67 metres below sea level.

Bonifacio and his diving buddy were able to retrieve a woman's body from the sunken ferry, bringing to 11 the confirmed death toll in the December 24 sinking. The wooden-hulled Catalyn B sank after it rammed into a steel-hulled fishing boat. Sixteen more people are still missing from the accident, while 44 were rescued. Two days later, another passenger ferry, the MV Baleno 9, sank near Batangas City, 85 kilometres south of Manila. Six people were confirmed killed, 73 rescued while 44 were missing and feared dead.

The coast guard has yet to conduct retrieval operations at the Baleno 9 wreckage.

Sea travel is a major mode of transportation in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. Accidents are frequent due to bad weather, poorly maintained boats, overloading and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

In June 2008, a passenger ferry sank off the central Philippines at the height of Typhon Fengshen, drowning over 800 passengers.

The country was the site of the world's worst peacetime shipping disaster in 1987, when more than 4,000 people perished in a collision between the ferry Dona Paz and an oil tanker before Christmas Day.

Diver who helped retrieve bodies of MV Catalyn victims dies

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/181099/diver-who-helped-retrieve-bodies-of-mv-catalyn-victims-dies

01/08/2010

A diver from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) who helped retrieve bodies of passengers from the shipwreck of MV Catalyn-B died of cardiac arrest on Friday.
PCG Petty Officer 3 Arman Bonifacio was pronounced dead by doctors of Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital, according to Commander Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman.
Balilo said Bonifacio was a seasoned diver who had also been a part of the PCG's search-and-rescue team during the onslaught of cyclones Ondoy and Pepeng.
He also helped recover the remains of passengers who were trapped inside the MV Princess of the Stars when it sank off Sibuyan Island in Romblon in June 2008, according to Balilo. - Carmela Lapeña/ARCS/JV, GMANews.TV

Rescuer’s death brings to fore risks faced by gov’t divers Published

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/181132/news/nation/rescuer-s-death-brings-to-fore-risks-faced-by-gov-t-divers

January 9, 2010 By JERRIE ABELLA, GMANews.TV

The death of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) diver Petty Officer 3 Armand Bonifacio brought to fore the occupational health and safety risks that government divers have to contend with during search, rescue and retrieval operations in response to accidents at sea.
Bonifacio died at the height of efforts to recover more bodies from the sunken MV Catalyn B off Limbones Island in Cavite. Knowing that he was a veteran diver, fellow members of the PCG Special Operations Group (SOG) never thought that Friday’s operation would end in another tragic loss of life.

Bonifacio volunteered to dive deep
In Bonifacio’s case, he volunteered to dive to about 221 feet, as PCG Auxiliary Diving Expert Capt. Matt Caldwell was unavailable. On the first of three scheduled dives for the day, Bonifacio, along with his dive buddy PO2 Saturnino Cahilig, retrieved a woman’s body still wearing a printed white shirt and black pants.
On their second attempt, the two reached the ship’s wreckage again. On their ascent, however, Cahilig felt Bonifacio shake his hand at about 170 feet deep, a signal that he was not feeling well. Bonifacio reportedly increased his ascension speed, which was against basic diving safety rules.
“He wanted to speed up his ascent, which would put him more in a very compromising situation. Sopinipigilan siya although ina-assist na siya sa pag-air(So he was being held back although his buddy assisted him in breathing in air)," SOG diving team head Lt. Commander Marco Gines said in a GMA News’ 24 Oras report.
At around 140 feet, Bonifacio lost consciousness, Gines said. He was resurfaced and brought to a decompression chamber for first aid. Inside the chamber, things went well as Bonifacio regained consciousness and was reportedly still able to follow orders.
Cardiac arrest
Two hours later, Bonifacio succumbed to cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center at around 3:40 p.m., according to Balilo.
In an ABS-CBN newscast, Bonifacio’s grieving wife rues the death of her husband, who had been in the service for 18 years and was already looking forward to retirement.
“Balak ko siyang pigilan. Mahina na ang katawan niya(I wanted to stop him, as he was getting weak physically)," the wife was quoted as saying.
Gines also expressed sadness over Bonifacio’s death, saying he has been an integral member of the SOG diving team. According to Gines, Bonifacio was trained by the Philippine Navy and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
He participated in the relief operation for the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, which hit the country last year. He was also part of the rescue operation for MV Princess of Stars, which sank in Romblon in 2008, where 300 of the 800 passengers remain missing.
‘Not the equipment’
“We checked the equipment. It’s not the equipment," Gines said when asked about the cause of Bonifacio’s death.
PCG spokesperson Lt. Commander Armand Balilo said, however, that divers would sometimes need to improvise so they could meet minimum equipment requirements for deep-sea diving.
Balilo admitted in the newscast that government divers do not have the required gas mixture, for example, for deep-sea diving.
According to the reference siteWikipedia, the gas mixture heliox (helium and oxygen) is commonly used for technical dives, such as during rescue operations, especially during deep phases.
Professional diver Rommel Ortiz also says one of the common health problems for divers is decompression sickness (DCS) or “the bends". The sickness results from ascending too quickly from deep-sea diving, which causes gas dissolution in blood, forming bubbles in body tissues, he said.
Deep-sea or technical dives of more than 200 feet are more risky, as 100 feet is the maximum depth for recreational diving.
Common symptoms of DCS include pains in the large joints of the body and skin itching. Headache, seizures and unconsciousness may also occur, especially if the DCS is of a neurological type, according to Wikipedia. Paralysis and death are also possible results.
Treatment of DCS-related symptoms involve hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or the medical use of oxygen in unusually high concentrations, inside a decompression chamber.
The site, however, also says DCS incidence is rare, with estimates of only 2.8 cases per 10,000 dives, with cases of unconsciousness recorded at less than 1 percent of the total.
Another risk for deep-sea divers is oxygen toxicity caused by high levels of supplemental oxygen. Its severe cases can result in cell damage and death, often affecting the central nervous system, lungs and eyes.
Repeated attempts to contact Balilo for clarification on possible causes of Bonifacio’s death proved futile as calls by GMANews.TV went unanswered. A PCG staff who refused to be identified said she was not authorized to speak on the matter, and refused to give further details.
The retrieval operations have been temporarily suspended until the autopsy is finished, according to PCG district commander Commodore Luis Tuazon.– JV, GMANews.TV

Palace lauds heroism of volunteer diver

http://balita.ph/2010/01/09/palace-lauds-heroism-of-volunteer-diver/

January 9, 2010

MANILA, Jan. 9 — Malacañang expressed its sincere condolences to the family of Petty Officer Armand Bonifacio who died Friday while retrieving bodies from a ship that sank in the waters off Libones Island near Cavite.

“We share the grief of the family. We, of course, admire the heroism of the diver,” Deputy Presidential Spokesman Undersecretary Gary Olivar said.

In an interview Saturday morning over Radyo ng Bayan, Olivar said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is saddened by the unfortunate death of a rescuer and hopes no other similar incident would happen as the search and retrieval operation for the remaining cadavers trapped inside the sunken wooden ship is completed.

Bonifacio, one of the Navy’s Special Operation Group volunteer divers, lost consciousness while diving to the wreck of the Catalyn B, a small wooden ferry that sank on Dec. 24 after hitting a steel-hulled fishing boat.

It was reported that although he regained consciousness after being pulled from the water, he died later on as he was being rushed to a hospital. (PNA)

Palace hails Coast Guard diver who died in duty

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/181164/palace-hails-coast-guard-diver-who-died-in-duty

01/09/2010

Malacañang on Saturday hailed the heroism of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) diver Arman Bonifacio who died while taking part in the search-and-retrieval operations for victims of a maritime tragedy off Cavite province.
“Ikinalulungkot natin ang ganitong pangyayari, ang inaasahan nating sumagip sa nasalanta sila napabilang sa nasalanta (We are saddened that one of the divers helping out ended up being one of the victims). We share the grief of the family and admire the heroism of the diver," presidential spokesman Olivar said on Saturday over government-run dzRB radio.
He said the Palace was hoping that the PCG would be able to conclude its search with no further casualties.
For its part, the PCG said it would ask the owner of the sunken passenger vessel Catalyn-B to send in more divers to retrieve bodies from the wreckage.
PCG commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo also assured the family that 42-year-old Bonifacio would be given full burial honors.
“He died in the line of duty. Bibigyan namin siya ng full burial honors (dahil sa) kanyang kabayanihan (He died in the line of duty. We will give him all benefits and honors because of his heroism)," Tamayo said in an interview on dzBB radio early Saturday.
Bonifacio died Friday afternoon after suffering decompression sickness while helping retrieve remains of passengers from the MV Catalyn-B.
The wooden-hulled Catalyn-B sank after colliding with the metal-hulled fishing vessel Anatalya off Limbones Island in Cavite last December 24.
Olivar allayed fears of families that the search might be slowed down because of the death of Bonifacio.
“Di naman siguro maapektuhan itong pagkamatay ng isa sa kanila di magkakaepekto sa ating kasamahan sa Coast Guard. Matatapang ang mga 'yan, they are used to the kind of risks they are taking (I don’t think the death of a diver will affect ongoing search operations.

The Coast Guard’s people are courageous and are used to the kind of risks they are taking)," he said.
Clueless
On the other hand, Tamayo admitted that the PCG remained clueless over the cause of death of Bonifacio, saying they found nothing wrong with his diving equipment, at least initially.
Citing reports reaching him, Tamayo said Bonifacio showed symptoms of decompression sickness while returning to the surface Friday.
He was taken to a decompression chamber aboard the search-and-rescue ship BRP Pampanga.
“Una nag-react siya, nag-respond. Pero nang pabalik sa Coast Guard nagkaroon ng worsening condition (At first he responded to treatment and the doctors on board were happy. But while they were making their way back to Coast Guard headquarters in Manila, his condition suddenly worsened)," Tamayo said.
Tamayo said Bonifacio was a veteran diver who had taken part in key search, rescue and retrieval operations in past years.
Among the search operations he took part in were for victims of the MV Princess of the Stars that capsized off Palawan in the wake of Typhoon Frank in June 2008; and of tropical cyclones “Ondoy" (Ketsana) and “Pepeng" (Parma).
“Kami ay nagtataka, walang problema sa tangke. Walang indication na nagkaroon ng problema sa kanyang equipment (We are puzzled. His oxygen tank and diving equipment did not seem to have any problem)," Tamayo said.
More divers
While the PCG will still continue its search operations after Bonifacio’s death, Tamayo said it would ask the owner of Catalyn-B to bring in technical divers to help.
“Kakausapin natin ang may-ari kumuha ng technical divers, gagawin natin kung kakayanin natin balikan ang site (We will ask the owner to get technical divers to the site. We will continue the search)," he said.
Tamayo also said he expected the Board of Marine Inquiry to start on Monday its investigation into the tragedy. He said the board would have up to 30 days to complete its investigation.
“Sisimulan natin ng Lunes, binigyan sila ng 15 to 30 days tapusin ang investigation (The board will start its work Monday and will have 15 to 30 days to finish the investigation)," he said. - ARCS/GMANews.TV