A 24-year-old seafarer from Leon, Iloilo province was among the casualties when the Chinese-flagged dredging vessel he was working on capsized off the coast of Occidental Mindoro on April 15, 2025. Mark Dave Calopez, serving as an engine cadet, was aboard the MV Hong Hai 16. The ship, carrying 25 crew members — 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese — lost stability and overturned near Barangay Malawaan in Rizal town while carrying 7,400 cubic meters of sand.

Castor, R. Z. (2025, April 22). Seafarer from Iloilo dies in vessel capsizing. The Manila Times, p. A8.