The office of House Deputy Minority Leader Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman was quick to give financial assistance to 68 survivors of MV Mary Joy 3, which had caught fire off the waters of Basilan. "Nakapagpaabot na tayo mula sa ating tanggapan ng tulong pinansyal na P3,000 sa 68 na survivor ng trahedya (We have already distributed through our office financial assistance worth P3,000 to the 68 survivors of the tragedy)," Hataman said in a statement sent to House reporters late Thursday afternoon, March 30. "At sa pakikipag-ugnayan ng ating tanggapan sa DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), nabigyan pa ng karagdagang P2,000 ang bawat biktima na sana ay makatulong sa mga gastusin nila sa kasalukuyan (And through our coordination with the DSWD, each of the victims received an additional P2,000 that we hope would cover their expenses for the time being), he added. The former deputy speaker went on to express his condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the ferry fire. "As of this writing, search and rescue operations are still on-going for survivors of the fire that hit the MV Mary Joy 3 and claimed more than 30 individuals and injured several others," Hataman said. "We are trying to get all information on the ground and formulate our own assessment of the situation, which will be the basis of our next steps in bringing aid to the victims and their families in this tragedy," he added.