10 still missing in Basilan ferry disaster; PCG says probe will follow rescue

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Search and rescue operations will continue for 10 remaining passengers of the ill-fated ferry M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, a day after the vessel sank off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Tuesday, January 27.

Eight of the 10 missing are crew members, including a sea marshal. None of the vessel’s crew are among the 18 confirmed dead, the PCG said.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan declined to comment on the ongoing investigation into the incident or on the possibility of holding the ferry’s owner, Aleson Shipping Lines, accountable for the deaths.

The January 26 sinking was the second major maritime incident involving a vessel owned by Aleson. In March 2023, more than 30 people died when the Aleson-owned ferry M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 caught fire off the same island.

Like Trisha Kerstin 3, Lady Mary Joy 3 was bound for Jolo, Sulu, from Zamboanga City.

Gavan said the PCG would prioritize the search for the remaining missing passengers.

“We will not discuss liabilities and the possible causes of the incident until such time the investigation has started and completed, since we don’t want to speculate,” he said.

He said the investigation would begin only after search and rescue and retrieval operations are terminated.

Gavan declined to give a timeline because “we experienced before [that] survivors were found even several days after the incident and rescue operation had ended.”

In a statement released on Monday, Aleson said, “We regret to inform the public that our passenger vessel… sank off Baluk-baluk Island,” adding that it immediately deployed all available vessels to assist in rescue efforts.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to all who offered their invaluable assistance during this critical time,” it added as it asked for “prayers, patience, and understanding as [search and rescue] efforts continue.”

Initial findings

Gavan said verified data showed the vessel was carrying 317 passengers, not 332 as earlier reported, when it departed Zamboanga City on Sunday night, January 25.

The PCG said a total of 344 people were on board at the time of the incident, as the vessel was manned by a 27-person crew, including a sea marshal.

“It was determined during further validation that 15 among the 332 passengers listed on the manifest did not board when the vessel departed the local port,” Gavan told a news conference late Monday in Zamboanga City.

He said the ferry was not overloaded, as its maximum passenger capacity was 352. The manifest listed 332 passengers, including those who later cancelled their trip or did not board.

As of Monday evening, authorities had accounted for 316 survivors, with 18 confirmed dead and 10 still missing, Gavan said.

He said he had ordered all PCG stations to further strengthen pre-departure inspections to ensure vessels are not overloaded.

Gavan said authorities were optimistic that there would be no oil spill, although an oil sheen had been observed at the site. He said diesel fuel dissipates quickly as it is classified as light oil. The vessel was carrying about 25,000 litres of diesel fuel when it sank.

Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) regional director Engineer Jedini Nur Sibal said the vessel was compliant with ship safety requirements.

Sibal said the vessel carried more than 500 life jackets – almost twice the number of passengers on board – contrary to claims by some survivors that the ferry lacked life vests.

Possible cause

In a video interview posted on GMA News’ Facebook page, Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said a possible cause of the sinking may have been the failure of a lashing securing vehicles on board.

Olaso said one of the trucks may have broken free from its restraints and shifted position as the vessel was struck by strong waves, contributing to the list and eventual sinking.

Incidentally, Olaso is a former ship captain and his wife belongs to the Tan family, which owns the Zamboanga City-based Aleson shipping firm.

Some survivors

Julmunier Jikiri, 26, one of the survivors, said the ferry did not have an emergency alarm system to alert passengers promptly.

“I was awakened by the screams of the passengers crying for help while the vessel was listing,” Jikiri said.

He said he later found himself in freezing water in darkness at sea. Jikiri had been sleeping on a bed at the center of the upper deck.

A former security guard in Manila, Jikiri was travelling to Barangay Tulay in Jolo, Sulu, to visit his parents. He said he was unsure if he could return to Manila to apply for work again after losing all his documents in the incident.

Another survivor, Anthony Salihuddin, 34, said he “left his fate in the hands of Allah” after being thrown overboard when the vessel listed and sank.

“I looked straight to the sky with Allah in my mind and prayed for help whenever I floated to rest and regain strength until help arrived,” he said.

Salihuddin said he survived the freezing water with an elderly woman who asked him for help.

When the rescuers finally arrived, he said he had to swim to another motorboat despite being weak after those aboard the watercraft refused to take him in, saying: “Mga senior citizens lang dito. Punta ka doon sa isang motorboat.”

(Only senior citizens are allowed here. Go to the other motorboat.)

“Kung nakilala ko lang ‘yong pulis, isusumbong ko talaga sa kinauukulan,” Salihuddin said. (If I had known who those police officers were, I would have reported them to the authorities.)

Salihuddin was apparently referring to members of the Police Maritime Group, who were among the responders.

Salihuddin, who works as a traffic enforcer at a mall in Makati and was travelling home to Jolo, Sulu, to visit his family. Like Jikiri, he had been sleeping on a bed at the center of the upper deck. Both returned to Jolo on Monday evening aboard a commercial ferry.

Financial aid

The Basilan provincial government has provided about P1.2 million in financial assistance to victims of the maritime incident.

Governor Mujiv Hataman said each of the 223 survivors brought to Isabela City, the provincial capital, received P5,000, while families of those who died were given P10,000 each.

Hataman said seven of the 18 confirmed fatalities were taken to Isabela aboard M/V Stephanie Marie, a sister ship of Trisha Kerstin 3.

Of the 223 survivors brought to Isabela, 24 were taken to the Basilan Medical Center for treatment.

“The patients are currently under the care of the hospital’s doctors, nurses and other health professionals,” Hataman said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development provided ready-to-eat meals to survivors in Basilan and Zamboanga City. – Rappler.com