Three more passengers of the fire-hit MV Lady Mary Joy 3, including a Philippine Army (PA) personnel, were finally found by search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) teams a week after the deadly sea blaze off Basilan that has now killed 31 people, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Holy Wednesday, April 5.

The PCG identified the fatalities as Anacleto Ponollero Jr., a resident of Sta. Catalina, Zamboanga City; Jack B. Bungso, a native of Maimbung, Sulu; and Staff Sergeant Andrew Cerbatos, an Army soldier.

(Courtesy of Philippine Coast Guard)

All three were passengers of MV Lady Mary Joy 3 and included in the ferry’s passenger manifest, the PCG said.

Accordingly, Ponollero was found floating in the vicinity waters off Sicagot Island in Basilan on Holy Tuesday, April 4. Meanwhile, Bungso and Cerbatos’ remains were recovered in the waters between Lampinigan Island and Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan on Holy Wednesday.

Ponollero’s body was turned over to the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (MDRRMO) of Maluso town in Basilan before he is transported to Zamboanga City. On the other hand, Bungso and Cerbatos’ cadavers were brought to Basilan provincial disaster risk reduction and management office (PDRRMO) and Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) before being sent to Zamboanga City.

*(Courtesy of Philippine Coast Guard)*

With the development, the PCG said the death toll has risen to 31. There were also 216 survivors and two missing persons. 

The PCG clarified that the toll was lowered by one (31 instead of 32) because it was found out from the previous data that there were only 17 burnt bodies recovered onboard the ferry instead of 18. At sea, the SRR teams now found 14 bodies.

The PCG also adjusted the number of individuals onboard the ferry from 269 to 249 as there was a double counting of passengers. The number included 205 passengers (20 are/were Army soldiers), 35 crew members, four Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sea marshals, and five other Army troops who acted as security personnel.

“Nagpapatuloy ang search and rescue / retrieval operations ng PCG para mahanap ang dalawa pang nawawalang indibidwal (The search, rescue, and retrieval operations of the PCG continue to find the two missing individuals),” the PCG said.

MV Lady Mary Joy 3 caught fire while sailing off Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan last March 30. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation but fire investigators reported that faulty electrical wiring may have caused it.