The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is searching for the captain of the ill-fated MV June Aster as authorities continue investigating the deadly passenger vessel fire off Coron, Palawan.
As of 8 a.m. Saturday, September 12, the disaster had left 35 people dead, 43 survivors, and 54 others still missing, according to the PCG.
During a briefing at the PCG headquarters in Manila, spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said Captain Roel Sarmiento, the vessel’s master, was not included in the official list of 43 survivors.
Cayabyab said a representative of Atienza Interisland Ferries, the company that owns and operates the vessel, had claimed that Sarmiento survived and, along with several crew members, proceeded to a covered court in Barangay Turda, Coron.
“Based on the document that we obtained, he is not part of the survivors, but there are statements that we also heard that he is alive. For the PCG, we are using the list submitted to us as our data source. From those 43 survivors, there is no name of the captain reflected on that,” Cayabyab told reporters.
The Coast Guard said it has been coordinating with the shipping company to locate Sarmiento but has not received direct communication from the captain despite the company’s assertion that he remains alive.
Given the number of fatalities and people still unaccounted for, Cayabyab said the vessel’s captain could face significant responsibility in the incident.
“With the number of missing and casualties, definitely the captain has a big responsibility and liability,”
Authorities said Sarmiento’s account would be important in determining how the incident unfolded, including the sequence of events and the instructions given to passengers and crew after the fire was reported.
“The statement of the captain is very significant. The captain of the ship is responsible for all cargo, passengers, and any situation onboard. It is very important that he appears to shed light on what really happened and what instructions he gave after receiving the fire report,” Cayabyab stressed.
The MV June Aster departed Baseco Port in Manila at 8:13 p.m. on September 8, bound for Coron. It was expected to reach its destination at around 6 p.m. the following day.
The vessel was approximately 21 nautical miles, or about an hour and a half, from Coron when the fire broke out.
An employee of Atienza Interisland Ferries alerted Coast Guard Station Coron about the incident at around 6:45 p.m. on September 8. The vessel was subsequently located aground about 7.6 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Turda, west of Calanhayuan Island.
Built in 2002, the 53-meter steel-hulled ship has a gross tonnage of 490 and a net tonnage of 337. It is homeported in Batangas and has a listed passenger capacity of 306. Its passenger ship safety certificate, meanwhile, authorizes a total of 333 people, including 27 crew members and other personnel.
The passenger manifest submitted before departure contained 134 names—117 passengers and 17 crew members. The PCG later confirmed that two passengers listed on the manifest did not actually board the vessel.
Two Chilean nationals were among those rescued. They left Coron at about 4:45 p.m. on September 11 after coordinating their departure with their embassy.
Cayabyab cautioned that the casualty figures remain subject to change as search, rescue, and retrieval efforts continue.
“This is still live data. It may change. As our search and rescue operation continues, these numbers may still change,” she said. “We are just relying for the meantime, so we have a baseline as to the number on the ticket manifest submitted to us. But definitely, this may change.”