TRANSPORT regulators have ordered insurance providers to process claims immediately for victims of the MV June Aster disaster, where the death toll reached 76 as of Sept. 13.
Briefings from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) confirm 76 dead, 43 injured, and 12 missing after fire gutted the passenger-cargo vessel off Barangay Marcilla. Marina issued a demand letter to Interclaim Adjuster Inc. and urged the Insurance Commission to compel insurer Western Guaranty Corp. to accelerate death benefits, medical coverage, and crew liabilities, while a joint help desk at Coron Municipal Hall assists affected families.
“The needs of the bereaved families and that of the survivors remain the government’s top priority,” Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said in a statement. “We will make sure that aid and the compensation they deserve are provided immediately.”
According to survivor accounts collected at triage sites and initial reports from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the disaster began overnight on Sept. 9 when two cargo hold explosions struck the 53-meter vessel 1.5 nautical miles off Coron during a voyage from Manila. Official manifests recorded 134 people onboard — 117 passengers and 17 crew — below the ship’s 300-person capacity.
First responders rescued 43 survivors, and the PCG declared the fire extinguished on Sept. 12, allowing recovery teams to access the burned economy deck while operator Atienza Interisland Ferries transported relatives to Coron for identification and aid.
The tragedy triggered regulatory scrutiny and technical investigations into domestic shipping safety. Explosion accounts prompted Marina and the PCG to audit roll-on/roll-off cargo screening protocols to prevent unmanifested hazardous materials from entering passenger vessels. Investigators are also evaluating ship design factors, specifically survivor reports that external weather tarpaulins hampered egress and trapped passengers below deck.
Meanwhile, Lopez ordered safety inspections across the domestic passenger fleet as recovery operations and liability probes continue.
