THREE significant accidents at sea in just over a week have once again cast a harsh spotlight on the Philippines’ tragically long history of poor maritime safety. While the authorities have claimed to have made progress reducing risks to passengers, cargoes and vessels through better regulation and oversight, the events of the past few days have revealed in a stark fashion that this is clearly not the case, and in fact, have raised even more questions about the government’s readiness and effectiveness in responding to maritime emergencies.
In the first incident, a motor banca, the Amejara, capsized and sank in rough seas in the Davao Gulf in the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 18. The boat, which was used for fishing and diving excursions, had 15 or 16 people on board — even now, official reports have been unclear on the number — and was en route from Davao City to Governor Generoso in Davao Oriental. One survivor, a crew member, was rescued on Jan. 19 after having spent almost two days floating in the open ocean. On Jan. 24, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that fishermen had discovered five bodies believed to be among the Amejara’s 15 missing passengers in the waters off Balut island in Sarangani, Davao Occidental, a considerable distance from where the boat is believed to have sunk.
The second accident occurred on Jan. 22, when the Singaporean-flagged bulk carrier MV Devon Bay sank near Scarborough Shoal. The ship had an all-Filipino crew of 21, and apparently encountered rough seas that caused a dangerous condition called liquefaction in its cargo of iron ore en route from Zamboanga City to Guangzhou, China. In this incident, there was at least one bright spot. China Coast Guard vessels in the area were able to quickly mount a rescue, a rare instance of the cooperation agreement for maritime search and rescue between the Philippines and China working as smoothly as intended. Two of the crew were confirmed dead and recovered, along with 15 survivors, while four remain missing.
In the latest incident, a passenger ferry with at least 360 people aboard capsized and sank off Baluk-Baluk island in Basilan early morning of Jan. 26. The Trisha Kerstin 3 was en route from Zamboanga City to Jolo, Sulu, and issued a distress call at 1:50 a.m., about four hours into its journey. As of Tuesday morning, 317 people were reported to have been rescued, with 18 confirmed dead and at least 24 still missing.
There are several aspects of the latest accident that are depressingly familiar in stories of ship or ferry losses in the Philippines throughout the years. First, it is uncertain exactly how many people were aboard the Trisha Kerstin 3. The PCG has said the ferry does not seem to have been overloaded and was cleared for departure, but accounts from survivors and witnesses suggest that there may indeed have been more people on board than the manifest indicated, as many were young children.
Second, survivors have also said the PCG rescue took more than three hours to arrive, despite the ship having made a distress call before it sank, and going down within sight of land. The PCG’s initial reports also suggested rough seas were a contributing factor to the sinking, but this was belied by survivors who said that conditions were fairly calm at the time of the sinking, and only became rougher hours later as they awaited rescue.
Serious questions are also being raised about the actions of the crew, with at least one survivor accusing them of giving no alarm or warning to passengers, and leaving passengers to fend for themselves as the ship went down. Likewise, the fitness of the vessel and how it was being handled at the time must be thoroughly investigated. The Trisha Kerstin 3 is owned by Aleson Shipping Lines, which figured in another tragic ferry accident less than three years ago when fire swept the Lady Joy 3, killing 31 passengers. That accident, on March 30, 2023, occurred in almost the same location as the latest one.
If these were accidents that could not have been avoided despite every precaution, and if the response to them was swift, efficient and truly minimized human losses, we could be satisfied with chalking them up to bad luck. That is clearly not the case, unfortunately. The PCG and relevant authorities led by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) must immediately carry out detailed and transparent investigations to determine what went wrong, and take firm steps to prevent it from happening again.
