Seaman killed in Japan sea mishap set to go home

MANILA, Philippines - One of two Filipino seamen who died in a three-ship collision in Kobe, Japan was just a few weeks short of being reunited with his family when the tragedy took his life, a relative told GMA News Thursday.

Alaxander 'Xander' Mercader, 36, was scheduled to arrive in the Philippines later this month after a year of toiling in the Belize-registered Gold Leader cargo vessel that accidentally collided with two other ships about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) southeast of Akashi Bridge in the Akashi Straits on Wednesday afternoon.

His aunt, Andresa Mulato, said the family has been grieving over Mercader's death but said they had to accept the tragedy especially since her nephew had been a good provider for his family in the Visayas.

"Xander is still too young, why did he have to go soon? [But] we cannot question [God]. So I have to accept it how it is," a sobbing Mulato said in Filipino, her voice breaking.

She also recounted how the young Mercader would talk about his dreams of becoming a seaman and exploring lands outside the Philippines.

"He dreamed of being a seaman. He wanted to see the different places in the world. That's what he said. He really was able to help out his family," said Mulato, who confessed to having treated Mercader like her own son.

She added that in his nephew's determination to become a seaman, Mercader waited three long years just to have his application approved and get the chance to work overseas.

"I'm dismayed that Xander didn't get to enjoy the fruits of his labor," Mulato said.

Two of the ship's nine Filipino crewmen remain missing. Five who were rescued shortly after Gold Leader sank were hospitalized. Three of them remain under intensive care while two have been declared in stable condition.

Aside from Mercader, another Filipino seafarer was found dead by the Japanese coast guard's search and rescue operation, according to Claro Cristobal, Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

The Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) will extend financial assistance to the two Filipino seafarers who died in the ship collision, Cristobal said.

“[They] are entitled to OWWA benefits and death benefits out of the insurance policy procured by the principal," he assured

The collision that happened off the coast of Akashi channel in Kobe involved the MV Gold Leader, the Daigo Eisei Maru and the Ocean Pheonix. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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