JOINT response teams from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) continue recovery operations, water-siphoning efforts, and multi-agency investigations aboard the fire-stricken ferry MV June Aster off Coron, Palawan.
According to PCG Spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, search units have achieved 100% penetration across the bridge, crew quarters, economy sections, and air-conditioned passenger accommodations.
Response teams are conducting secondary sweeps to ensure no critical evidence or remaining material is overlooked.
Meanwhile, search operations inside the vessel’s cargo hold have reached 65% completion.
In addition to search operations, authorities have been siphoning an oily water mixture from the engine room, filling 13 drums for proper disposal.
The PCG has issued a demand letter directing vessel owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. to immediately retain a professional salvor to evaluate the ferry’s structural integrity and conduct further siphoning.
Following continuous accounting and ticket manifest reconciliations as of September 16, 2026, the PCG revised the total count of individuals aboard from an initial 134 down to 128.
Officials physically verified that four ticketed passengers never boarded the base vessel prior to its September 8 departure from Baseco Port, Manila—three due to booking errors and one who had taken an earlier ship.
The updated casualty figures stand at 77 confirmed fatalities, 43 survivors, and 8 missing persons.
The death toll rose following the death of a surviving crew member who succumbed to injuries at Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital on September 15.
Among the survivors is the vessel’s master, Captain Roel Sarmiento, who voluntarily surfaced five days after the disaster.
Accompanied by company representatives, Sarmiento presented himself to authorities on September 14 and is currently cooperating with maritime safety and criminal investigators looking into his whereabouts after the fire and the cause of the disaster.
The PCG has committed a legal team to assist victims and bereaved families with claims while parallel maritime safety and criminal investigations determine legal liabilities.
