DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Coast Guard has widened ongoing search and rescue operations into the Mindanao Sea, Celebes Sea, and Indonesian waters to find more survivors from the ill-fated MBCA Amejara.

PCG District Southeastern Mindanao chief Commander Commodore Philipps Soria said they remain hopeful that they could still find more survivors 12 days since the recreational vessel was reported missing.

Soria said they have secured a clearance for an overflight SAR operation using Philippine Navy aircraft in the coastal areas of some islands within the area of responsibility of Indonesia.

He added that the multi-agency SAR operations made adjustments on the coverage following the rescue of boat crew member Christopher Bulig off the coast of Sarangani Island as well as the recovery of six bodies.

The PCG officer cited the sea conditions, wind, and water current as basis for necessary adjustments on SAR operations.

In a press briefing on Friday, Soria bared that the search area has been divided into nine sectors, two of which are already inside the archipelago of Indonesia.

Based on the map, sectors stretched from the tip of Davao Oriental going southwest towards Sarangani Islands, Celebes Sea, parts of Moro Gulf, and closer to waters of Basilan.

The Indonesian sectors cover a part of the Marore Island and northern parts of Sangihe Island.

With the expanded SAR area, Soria said they are now in close coordination with the Coast Guard District Southern Mindanao (CGDSOM) and Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao (CGDSWM).

A multi-agency search was launched involving the PCG, Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force, Philippine National Police Regional Maritime Unit, and local disaster units since the boat was reported missing on Jan. 19.

“Until this time, we are still hopeful that there will still be survivors. The probability is still high, we will not give up,” Soria said.

Soria confirmed that the MBCA Amejara was not authorized to sail to Gov. Genoroso in Davao Oriental.

The recreational vessel’s allowed route was only within Davao City and Island Garden of Samal (IGACOS), he added.

Thus, PCG personnel assigned at Santa Ana port did not sign the documents of the vessel when it was submitted prior to boat’s departure on Jan. 17. The boat still reportedly departed around 8 p.m. that day.

“If the Coast Guard did not sign the papers, you are not allowed to leave. It’s because there is an inconsistency on their route,” Soria explained. “That will be a part of the investigation as to why it was not approved.”

Soria was referring to the Masters Declaration of Safe Departure (MDSD), a mandatory document submitted by a ship’s master to the PCG prior to departure. He said the MDSD includes the passenger manifest, cargo, and other documentary requirements.

Soria said this incident is no longer new to PCG as there were ships in the past that would just depart without clearance from the agency. The ship will be reprimanded and will be fined by the PCG in the next port of destination, he added.

The PCG official confirmed that there were 16 passengers onboard the vessel when it left this city and four of them were crew members.

Soria said that there were two people who were unable to board the boat but their names were listed in the original passenger manifest they submitted.

He clarified that there were two more people who were reportedly on the boat but not listed on the submitted passenger manifest.

Soria cited a document from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) stating that the owner of the recreational vessel is Ace Cortez, who was listed among the missing passengers. Most of the passengers were said to be fishing enthusiasts.

Of the 16 people on board, only a crew member, Christopher Bulig, was rescued in the sea of Sarangani Island on Jan. 20.

Six bodies were recovered about 75 nautical miles (138 kilometers) southwest of Sarangani Island four days later. As of Jan. 30, only four of the six recovered bodies have been identified.

Office of Civil Defense-Davao region chief Ednar Dayanghirang identified the bodies as those of Porferio Lanorias Jr., Ranil Florino, John Julius Alcazar, and Hector Emberga.

The two unidentified bodies will be temporarily buried while awaiting results of the deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA testing.

Meanwhile, Soria bared that initial investigation showed that the last known position of MBCA Amejara was approximately near Pasig de Byuda, a known fishing spot southeast of Cape San Agustin in Gov. Generoso.

He said they only learned about the last known position after one of the wives of the missing passengers was able to track the electronic device of her husband. The PCG official said they received the distress message from one of the wives on Jan. 19.

Soria added that they are still verifying the reports that MBCA Amejara sank at the vicinity of Pasig de Byuda on Jan. 18.

He said that they have to verify the report since the MDSD only indicated Gov. Generoso as their port of destination.

Soria appealed to the public to be transparent on their destinations to enable them to locate them when they are in distress.