Five Filipino fishermen, who had engine trouble and had been floating aimlessly in the Sulu Sea for about a week, were sighted and rescued by Vietnamese fishermen off the southern province of Khan Hoa in Vietnam, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. The foreign office identified the Filipino fishermen as Willy Diaz, Isny Boy Diaz, Rodney Acosta, Richard Matiaong and Asadin Taha, all of Balabac, Palawan. The fishermen said they left Balabac and headed for the sea to drop off some friends in Mangsee island and fish in the Sulu Sea. Mangsee is a 23-hectare islet is closer to Sabah, Malaysia, than to the southernmost town of Balabac, 48 kilometers away.

Fabunan, S. S. D. (2013, February 3). 5 fishermen lost at sea, land in Vietnam. Manila Standard, p. A3.