Camille Naredo

This handout photo taken and received on January 26, 2026 courtesy of Aquino Sajili, an attorney based in Zamboanga City in Mindanao, shows Sajili taking a selfie showing other survivors of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 ferry, which sank in waters off Basilan province, following their rescue at a port in Isabela, Basilan province. Handout/Aquino Sajili via AFP

This handout photo taken and received on January 26, 2026 courtesy of Aquino Sajili, an attorney based in Zamboanga City in Mindanao, shows Sajili taking a selfie showing other survivors of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 ferry, which sank in waters off Basilan province, following their rescue at a port in Isabela, Basilan province. A ferry with more than 350 people onboard sank on January 26 morning in choppy seas off the southern Philippines, leaving at least 15 dead and 28 still missing, the coast guard said. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Attorney Aquino Sajili / AFP) / NO USE AFTER FEBRUARY 5, 2026 11:12:49 GMT - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /  COURTESY OF ATTORNEY AQUINO SAJILI" - HANDOUT - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Article (news)

MV Trisha Kerstin

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769444024813AFP__20260126__93Z73QM__v1__HighRes__PhilippinesTransportAccident.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This handout photo taken and received on January 26, 2026 courtesy of Aquino Sajili, an attorney based in Zamboanga City in Mindanao, shows Sajili taking a selfie showing other survivors of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 ferry, which sank in waters off Basilan province, following their rescue at a port in Isabela, Basilan province. Handout/Aquino Sajili via AFP" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This handout photo taken and received on January 26, 2026 courtesy of Aquino Sajili, an attorney based in Zamboanga City in Mindanao, shows Sajili taking a selfie showing other survivors of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 ferry, which sank in waters off Basilan province, following their rescue at a port in Isabela, Basilan province. <em>Handout/Aquino Sajili via AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- As their ferry began listing heavily in the middle of the night off the southern Philippines, passengers instinctively raced to one side in a desperate bid to rebalance the doomed vessel.</p><p>Survivor Aquino Sajili told AFP he called a lawyer friend as he stood against the railing of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3, saying he expected it to sink and asking him to alert the Philippine Coast Guard.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/26/vessel-with-332-onboard-sinks-off-basilan-rescue-ongoing-0811">READ: Ferry sinking kills 18, leaves 10 missing off Basilan</a></div><p>&quot;Ten minutes later, I heard a sudden, loud snap,&quot; said the 53-year-old attorney from nearby Zamboanga City in Mindanao.</p><p>&quot;Then the ship immediately capsized,&quot; he said in an interview from his home, describing how panic quickly gripped the passengers.</p><p>&quot;The women and children were shouting and crying,&quot; he said. &quot;There were many children present there.&quot;</p><p>A client he had been travelling with to a sharia court hearing was among the 18 dead, Sajili said.</p><p>&quot;Many of the casualties were women of old age... The ship was so big that when you are covered by it, you need strength to push yourself above water,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;No alert from crew&#x27; -</strong></div><p>Sajili said he was awoken by a fellow passenger as the triple-decker ferry began to tilt precariously.</p><p>&quot;He alerted us and gave us life jackets. No one from the crew alerted us,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;It was the passengers who were helping other passengers to stay calm and telling them not to jump ship.&quot;</p><p>Sajili clung to a small part of the boat that stayed above the waterline until the last possible moment, before letting go and swimming towards a life raft.</p><p>The raft flipped over before he reached it as desperate people tried to pull themselves from the water.</p><p>&quot;In the end, we just held on to the upside-down life raft and floated. We were floating at sea for more than three hours,&quot; he said.</p><p>The first rescue vessels arrived at around 3:30 am, Sajili said, although those bobbing in the water faced a longer wait.</p><p>Small groups of survivors waited in turn to be picked up by fishing vessels as well as boats sent by the ferry&#x27;s owner, Aleson Shipping Lines.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/26/-tumagilid-ang-barko-namin-tulong-missing-cadet-sought-help-as-ferry-sank-off-basilan-1618">READ: Missing cadet sought help as ferry sank off Basilan</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Unacceptable&#x27; -</strong></div><p>&quot;We were just floating and comforting each other, encouraging each other not to panic,&quot; Sajili said.</p><p>The coast guard&#x27;s response time had been &quot;unacceptable&quot;, he said.</p><p>The ferry sank about five kilometres (three miles) east of Basilan province&#x27;s Baluk-Baluk Island, near the Zamboanga peninsula.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re near Basilan, but it took them more than three hours to respond to us,&quot; he said.</p><p>He also disputed descriptions of rough seas at the time of the sinking, saying the waves had only become stronger after they had been in the water for hours.</p><p>After speaking with other survivors, he believed there was a strong likelihood that a lawsuit would be filed against the ferry&#x27;s owner.</p><p>&quot;I think we can gather enough evidence to prove that the crew members of the ship were really negligent,&quot; he said.</p><p>Aleson Shipping Lines, which also operated the Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry, on which 31 people were killed in a 2023 fire, did not respond to calls for comment.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m just thankful that many survived,&quot; Sajili said. &quot;But I hope this also serves as a lesson to shipping lines for them to do their obligation under the law.&quot;</p>

<p>As their ferry began listing heavily in the middle of the night off the southern Philippines, passengers instinctively raced to one side in a desperate bid to rebalance the doomed vessel.</p>

As their ferry began listing heavily in the middle of the night off the southern Philippines, passengers instinctively raced to one side in a desperate bid to rebalance the doomed vessel.

Philippine ferry survivor describes scenes of panic, wait for rescue

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Philippine ferry survivor describes scenes of panic, wait for rescue

Pam Castro,

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 27, 2026 12:16 AM PHT

Read More:

Basilan

MV Trisha Kerstin 3

Philippine Coast Guard

Aquino Sajili

Aleson Shipping Lines

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