23 remain missing in Basilan ferry fire

Zamboanga City, Philippines — Twenty-three passengers of the ferry that caught fire off Basilan remain missing, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported yesterday.

Basilan provincial information officer Richard Falcatan said the list of missing passengers of M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 was based on the data provided by the Sulu PDRRMO.

“The PDRRMO terminated search and rescue operations, but the office reported that 23 are still missing,” Falcatan said.

He said nine others who had earlier been reported missing turned out to be among those rescued.

Ensign Tenessey Rojas, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Zamboanga station deputy commander and spokesman, said search and retrieval operations within the vicinity of Basilan are ongoing.

Cpl. Marion Malda and S/Sgt. Andrews Cerbatos as well as four-year-old Aliza Saabdulla of Jolo are among those reported missing.

The death toll remained at 29, but only 18 of them have been identified. There are 216 survivors.

The Philippine National Police is conducting DNA tests on the 18 charred bodies to determine their identities.

A spark from a ceiling lamp in a passenger cabin may have caused the fire, initial investigation by the PCG showed.

House probe

Meanwhile, Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman is calling for a congressional inquiry into the ferry fire.

“We want to know what caused the fire. Who are the people responsible? Why did the ship’s crew fail to respond immediately? Was the ferry seaworthy? These are among the questions we want answered,“ Hataman said.

He called for a review of related maritime laws, common carrier statutes and other operational rules and regulations on seacraft to avoid a similar incident.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. had earlier said heads should roll due to the ferry fire.— Sheila Crisostomo