Basilan tragedy victims: Sack Coast Guard commander, revoke firm’s license
“Lives lost could no longer be returned, and the trauma we are suffering due to the gross and repeated negligence of Aleson will haunt us for life.”
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Victims of the sunken vessel in Basilan province last month stressed that the acting commander of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) should be dismissed.
They were displeased after PCG told the House Committee on Transportation on Thursday, February 26, 2026 that two high-ranking officials of PCG Zamboanga were suspended for one year, while four members of the Pre-Departure Inspection (PDI) team were dismissed from service without honor.
“They [the PDI team] were also victims of a wrong system,” lawyer Aquino Sajili, representative of the victims, told Bulatlat. “[The acting station commander] should be the one to be dismissed before anyone else.”
Read: Gov’t action demanded over Basilan ferry tragedy
PCG said Acting Commander Lieutenant Jason Pagbonocan was in charge when the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 of Aleson Shipping Lines Incorporated sank off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan. The station commander at that time was on leave.
Aside from dismissed personnel, there is also a PDI team member who was demoted.
Authorities’ investigation revealed that the passenger-cargo vessel was overloaded prior to its departure, noting an approximate actual cargo load of 150.097 tons, which is higher compared to the allowable cargo load of 112.20 tons. The weighbridge at Global Port Zamboanga Terminal, meanwhile, was allegedly not properly used.
It was also revealed that the uneven distribution of cargoes inside the vessel caused the seawater to enter and affect the ship’s formation.
Moreover, alleged irregularities were noted after only 332 passengers were listed in the manifesto. As of this writing, 65 bodies were recovered, and 293 individuals were rescued. There are also 21 persons missing.
Sajili, a survivor himself, claimed that there were victims who have yet to receive financial aid. Another survivor said they did not receive monetary assistance after their hospital bills were shouldered by the shipping firm, which should not be the case as confirmed by the company lawyer.
Sajili also lamented that there were some victims when Aleson’s M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 caught fire in 2023 who allegedly received only P3,000 (US$52).
“Lives lost could no longer be returned, and the trauma we are suffering due to the gross and repeated negligence of Aleson will haunt us for life. The only consolation we can get is the absolute cancellation and revocation of the license and/or franchise of Aleson Shipping Lines,” he told Bulatlat.
Amirah Lidasan, secretary general of the Moro-Christian Peoples Alliance, expressed her outrage following the incident that took the lives of many people, calling on PCG that, aside from administrative sanctions, stricter rules should be enforced to address overloading and other issues.
“The same sanctions were imposed in the past, yet this continues,” she told Bulatlat in Filipino, adding the shipping firm should also be held accountable.
In 2016, Aleson’s M/V Danica Joy 2 also capsized in Zamboanga port after it docked. Luckily, no casualty was recorded since the passengers had already disembarked before it sank.
Lidasan also criticized the national government for continuously allowing private firms to provide public transportation, a service for the people that must be led by the state. She said the government should also be held accountable. (RVO, RTS)
The post Basilan tragedy victims: Sack Coast Guard commander, revoke firm’s license appeared first on Bulatlat.
Leave a Comment