BEDAN ALUMNA AND past Features Editor of The Bedan was among the reported victims in the tragedy involving a passenger vessel on Wednesday, September 9, after a fire broke out aboard the MV June Aster from Baseco Port in Manila en route to the Port of Coron, Palawan.

The tragedy involved both passengers and crew of the vessel, totaling 134 in number. Present reports from the Coron Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CMDRRMO) indicate that out of the 134 people, 44 survived, 12 remain missing, and recorded fatalities stand at 76, with 71 of them retrieved from the vessel and five others located in the waters near the incident.

Bedan alumna and former Features Editor of The Bedan during its 63rd volume, Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, 40 years old, along with her husband Elyzer Navoa, 39 years old, and their three-year-old daughter Hiraya Joy Navoa, were among the listed passengers aboard the vessel where the tragedy ensued.

In an interview held by Jessica Soho in her documentary report on the weekly segment Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho (KMJS), aired on September 12, Sunday, Mark David Galera, brother of Galera-Navoa, shared how his sister and her family, residing in Palawan, went to Manila to attend their father’s wake and boarded the vessel on September 8 to return home to the island.

“‘Yung kapatid ko, umuwi siya galing El Nido papunta ng Manila… para maki-lamay. Kasi dapat uuwi na sila September 1—na-extend, September 8, finally, nakasakay [ng] barko,” he said.

In a Facebook post made by Galera-Navoa’s cousin, Jhen Galera, on September 11, Friday, she requested assistance in locating her “cousin and her family.”

On the same documentary segment, Jannelle Navoa, sister of Galera-Navoa’s husband, expressed faith in the present condition of the family, stating, “We’re still hoping na okay sila. Kahit sabihin mo [lang medyo] matatagalan ‘yung paggaling, okay lang. Basta buhay sila.”

According to accounts made by the survivors aboard the ferry, a loud explosion occurred and was heard from the cargo hold of the ferry before flames rapidly engulfed the vessel.  

The fire, which broke out on Wednesday, September 9, continued to engulf the vessel until September 11, leaving it severely damaged. In a statement made by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, she said that the vessel has been “penetrated by our response teams. A secondary sweep will be conducted to ensure the recovery of any remaining evidence and other materials relevant to the ongoing investigation.”

During the rescue operation, Commodore Cayabyab recounted that some survivors were seen swimming away from the vessel without life jackets, “meron rin po tayong nakita na mga pasahero—lumalangoy papalayo doon sa barko, ‘yan po yung ating nadaanan at nabigyan po ng mga life jackets,” she stated.

The Human Resource (HR) General of the Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., the ship operator of the subject passenger vessel, Dindo Macalinao, attributed the absence of life jackets from the survivors to the speed at which the fire spread. “As to the life jacket, visible ho ‘yan. Based on the statements po ng mga survivor, sa sobrang bilis nung fire, eh ‘di na ho nila nagawang magsuot ng life jacket,” Macalinao said.

One of the survivors from the incident was the Chief Engineer Officer (CEngO) of the vessel, Danilo Monta, who claimed that prior to its voyage, the vessel was in good condition. “Wala namang problema… kundisyon ‘yung makina,” he said.

As reported by the PCG, the vessel passed the Vessel Safety Enforcement Inspection (VSEI) before boarding. According to the passenger manifest of the vessel, it was below the maximum capacity of 333 total passengers, with it only having 134 confirmed persons on board, inclusive of the passenger and crew.

The captain of the MV June Aster, who was also a survivor of the tragedy, Captain Roel Sarmiento, was missing for days after the tragedy and only voluntarily appeared before the PCG on Monday, September 14. According to Commodore Cayabyab, investigators are set to question Captain Sarmiento regarding the events that unfolded prior to the fire, as well as what transpired before he resurfaced days after the maritime disaster.

HR General of the ship operator conveyed the side of the company, assuring that aid is to be given by the company in the face of the tragedy. “Gusto ko lang ipaalam po talaga na diyan sa mga family members, sa mga crew namin na ‘di namin sila pababayaan kasi sobrang sakit po nito sa management at company po namin,” he imparted.

Janelle Novoa called on the government’s active redress of grievances in a plea: “Nangako ako sa mga kapatid ko na iuuwi ko siya kahit sa anong paraan. Kaya sana kung naririnig ng gobyerno, tulungan kami. Kasi kawawa. Mayroon pa kaming three years old doon.”

As of press time, family members continue to be called in to assist with the identification of the bodies recovered from the incident as search operations persist to locate the remaining 12—with the PCG and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) continuing their investigation on the cause of the incident and the surrounding circumstances, as well as the evacuation procedures and other relevant factors that may have contributed to the incident.