Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Queenie Casimiro

ABS-CBN News

Agence France-Presse

<p>MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard said Wednesday it deployed divers and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to scour the ocean for survivors of a ferry sinking that killed at least 18 people.</p><p>The MV Trisha Kerstin 3 was carrying 344 passengers and crew when it went down off Basilan in the early hours of Monday. Most people were rescued in the immediate aftermath.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/27/captain-8-crew-still-missing-after-ferry-sinking-14-passengers-canceled-tickets-0859">10 passengers still unaccounted</a> for include the ferry&#x27;s captain, eight crew members and a safety marshall, PCG Commandant Ronnie Gavan said at a press briefing on Tuesday.</p><p>PCG Spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab said the ROV can survey submerged areas with limited visibility and challenging sea conditions to provide data that would guide divers.    </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:400px;display:block" width="400"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17695679207581769567917385.jpeg" style="width:400px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="400"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This handout photo from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) taken and received on January 26, 2026 shows survivors of the sunken M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 being transferred to another ship in waters off Basilan province. A ferry carrying 342 passengers sank on January 26 morning in the southern Philippines, leaving at least eight dead, a local mayor said. Handout/Philippine Coast Guard via AFP</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The ROV is equipped with a 300-meter cable and can sustain 2-hours continuous operation underwater, PCG South Western Mindanao commander Commodore Rejard Marfe added.</p><p>&quot;Kaya nitong pumasok sa mga compartments ng barko,&quot; Marfe said.</p><p>A coast guard press aide earlier said the ship was believed to be sitting at a depth of about 76 meters.</p><p>Marfe noted that some passengers could have been trapped in the vessel.</p><p>&quot;Anything is possible as of this time,&quot; Marfe said.</p><p>“The Philippine Coast Guard is still in high hopes that we can still locate, na buhay po itong mga hinahanap natin na indibidwal,” Cayabyab added.</p><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div><div><strong>SHARKS, WEATHER CHANGES</strong></div><div><strong> </strong></div><p>PCG Technical Diving Group commander Cheska Jamorol said possible challenges that the 19-man diving team could encounter included sharks and abrupt weather changes.</p><p>&quot;May mga reported presence ng sharks. Kung sakali, may mga ways naman. Di agad kami puedeng umahon agad, lahat ng galaw calculated talaga,&quot; Jamorol said.</p><p>Jamorol&#x27;s team was also involved in the search and retrieval of the missing sabungeros from Taal Lake. </p><p>&quot;Our divers are well rested naman, they are ready,&quot; she said.</p><p>Marfe disclosed that the investigating team from the Maritime Safety Service Command arrived earlier Wednesday to determine the cause of the ferry sinking.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>TRANSPROT WOES</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The triple-decker MV Trisha Kerstin 3 sank on nearly the same route where 31 people died in 2023 after a <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/04/09/23/basilan-ferry-fire-death-toll-climbs-to-32">fire aboard the Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry.</a></p><p>Both ships were owned by locally based Aleson Shipping Lines.</p><p>Transportation secretary Giovanni Lopez said on Tuesday that the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/27/dotr-grounds-aleson-s-fleet-amid-full-blown-probe-into-basilan-ferry-sinking-1049">company&#x27;s passenger fleet would be kept at port</a> pending an investigation.</p><p>On Wednesday, passengers flocked to the ticketing offices of other shipping lines that ply the Zamboanga-Basilan- Sulu and Tawi-Tawi route. </p><p>Aleson has over 10 passenger vessels operating in ZamBaSulTa. In Lamitan City, Basilan, only Aleson serves the area. </p><p>Ken Calolot Bisal, a Lamitan port manager, said the city was facing a huge problem as their passengers and cargo now have to go to Isabela City to catch a boat to Zamboanga. </p><p>Isabela however is also experiencing a deluge of waiting commuters since they are left only with a fastcraft and a commercial boat from other shipping lines.</p><p>&quot;Dahil dito, marami tayong mga kababayan na sumasakay na lang sa mga maliliit na bangka, which is mas delikado,&quot; Bisal said.</p><p>Commodore Marfe said that they would verify this information to ensure that small boats ferrying passengers to other islands are equipped with the  necessary life saving gear. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;NEGLIGENT&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>On Monday, a survivor of the sinking told AFP that &quot;no one from the crew alerted us&quot;, describing the panic that gripped passengers as the ship began tilting in the water.</p><p>Aquino Sajili said passengers had raced to one side of the ship in a desperate attempt to rebalance it before he heard a &quot;loud snap&quot; that preceded the ship&#x27;s rapid sinking.</p><p>Those who survived then spent hours bobbing in life jackets or clinging to other floatation devices while awaiting rescue, the 53-year-old lawyer said.</p><p>&quot;I think we can gather enough evidence to prove that the crew members of the ship were really negligent,&quot; Sajili said, adding he believed a lawsuit was likely.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/27/philippine-ferry-survivor-describes-scenes-of-panic-wait-for-rescue-0016">Philippine ferry survivor describes scenes of panic, wait for rescue</a></div><p>The Philippines has a long history of disasters involving the inter-island ferries that ply its seas. Many rely on cheap and poorly regulated boats and ships for transport between the country&#x27;s more than 7,000 islands.</p><p>A 2015 ferry capsizing off the western coast of Leyte Island resulted in more than 60 deaths.</p><p>In 1987, the Dona Paz ferry collided with an oil tanker in a pre-Christmas accident that claimed more than 4,000 lives. It was the world&#x27;s worst peacetime disaster at sea.</p><p>PCG’s Cayabyab allayed fears of an oil spill following the presence of oil sheen in the waters.</p><p>“Nothing to worry naman po ang ating publiko diyan. Ito pong diesel ay may kakayahan pong mag-evaporate in its natural way and nakita po natin sa mga sunud-sunod po nating isinasagawang aerial surveillance ay halos numinipis na po itong oil sheen na nakita natin nung unang araw,” she said.  </p><div><strong>— With a report from Harlene Delgado, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="828" height="675" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FHK6bAl6tJM" title="Rescued passengers receive medical treatment at PH port after ferry capsize | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="828" height="675" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2L4orW1jm2w" title="&#x27;Bigla na lang tumagilid&#x27;: What caused ferry sinking off Basilan | DZMM TeleRadyo" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The Philippine Coast Guard said Wednesday it deployed divers and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to scour the ocean for survivors of a ferry sinking off Basilan. </p>

The Philippine Coast Guard said Wednesday it deployed divers and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to scour the ocean for survivors of a ferry sinking off Basilan.

Divers, submersible equipment join search for victims of Basilan ferry sinking

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Divers, submersible equipment join search for victims of Basilan ferry sinking

Jamaine Punzalan,

Queenie Casimiro,

ABS-CBN News,

Agence France-Presse

Published January 28, 2026 10:40 AM PHT

|

Updated January 28, 2026 03:58 PM PHT

Read More:

ferry

Basilan

MV Trisha Kerstin 3

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