The captain of the passenger vessel MV June Aster has resurfaced five days after his ship caught fire near Coron, Palawan, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Tuesday, September 15.
Captain Roel Sarmiento voluntarily presented himself at the Palawan office of vessel owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. on Monday, September 14, alongside human resources general manager Dindo Macalinao.
Shipping management promptly notified the PCG Emergency Operations Center of his return.
Investigators plan to interview Sarmiento to clarify the events surrounding the September 9 blaze, his missing status, and his post-disaster whereabouts.
“The statement of the captain will be very important. The shipping company said that after the incident, the captain was seen and was with other crew members and survivors, and then he suddenly left,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said.
Cayabyab emphasized the master’s legal and moral obligation to the victims and their families.
“We need to give justice to every family affected by this. Only the captain can say what really happened and it is his obligation. Hopefully, the captain will fulfill his sworn responsibility for the families affected. The captain is supposedly the last person to leave the ship,” she added.
The tragic incident occurred while the ferry was en route from Baseco, Manila, to Coron. Of the revised 132 actual passengers onboard, authorities have recorded 44 survivors, 76 fatalities, and 12 missing individuals.
Response teams from the PCG and PNP-SOCO have cleared 100 percent of the ship’s bridge, crew quarters, accommodation, and passenger sections, though a secondary sweep is slated.
Investigators are still clearing the cargo deck—the presumed origin of the fire—where 35 percent remains blocked by wreckage.
“The remaining 35 percent is covered with debris. We will carefully examine this area today to recover possible evidence,” Cayabyab said.
Due to flooding in the engine room, the PCG issued a formal demand letter instructing Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. to hire a qualified salvor for siphoning operations and structural stability evaluations.
“We have already sent a demand letter to the shipping company because the siphoning in the engine room is currently being done by the PCG and different agencies. Yesterday, we also sent a demand letter to the shipping company so they can immediately get a competent salvor who will conduct additional siphoning operations and assess the structural integrity and condition of the MV June Aster,” Cayabyab noted.
To assist grieving relatives, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan dispatched a specialized legal team.
“On the PCG side, our Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, has already given a directive that we will allocate and send a legal team, especially for the families of those affected, to help them with matters concerning claims and whatever the families of the victims need,” Cayabyab said.