FAMILIES of missing MV Trisha Kerstin 3 passsngers hold a rally in Zamboanga City.
Nine from the ill-fated MV Trisha Kerstin 3 have been identified and brought to Jolo, Sulu and Zamboanga City on Friday, Jan.30.
According to the Basilan Provincial Risk Reduction Management Office, the bodies of Dayam Awaluddin, Nalda Muksan, Harlene Asgali, and Nursalyn Muammil were brought to Jolo.
The bodies of Nurdaya Tawasil, Dina Ambutong, Anisa Mahsom, Harija Hadjirul, and Mussah Sala were brought to Zamboanga City after they were recovered near Baluk Baluk Island in Basilan province.
Two bodies remain unidentified and will be brought to a local funeral parlor in Zamboanga City for claiming by relatives.
Sulu Vice Gov. Abdusakur Tan ordered teams from the Sulu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine Red Cross in Sulu, together with drone operators, to assist in search and retrieval operations in Basilan.
They are accompanied by two speedboats.
Meanwhile, the Sulu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) has come out with a list of 49 missing passengers from the MV Trisha Kerstin 3, a sharp contrast to the statement of the Philippine Coast Guard saying that only 10 are missing after the sea tragedy.
Families of missing passengers gathered on Thursday, Jan. 29, in front of the Zamboanga City port to dispute the PCG's statement on the number of missing passengers.
The PCG said that based on the official passenger manifest, only 10 passengers remain missing.
The day after, 11 bodies surfaced within the vicinity of Baluk Baluk Island, a situation which squarely disputed the claim of the PCG.
This gave rise to intensified dissent among victims’ families.
“Definitely it’s more than 10. According to our records, based on that picture, there are 52 in total,” said lawyer Aquino Sajili, one of the survivors of the incident who is now serving as the group’s leader.
Among the missing persons is Alberto Romoros, presiding judge of the Shariah Circuit Court in Jolo, whose wife confirmed that her husband was on board the ill-fated boat travelling to Sulu.