DEATH TOLL UP | Rescuers carry the remains of ferry fire victim Anacleto Ponollera, who was found in the waters off Sicagot Island in Basilan on Tuesday. The recovery of the bodies of Ponollera and two others has brought to 31 the number of fatalities in the blaze. (Photo from the Basilan Provincial Information Office)
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — The remains of three more passengers of MV Lady Mary Joy 3, the Sulu-bound ferry that caught fire in the waters off Basilan province on March 29, were found by rescuers, a day after authorities terminated the search and retrieval operations for those still missing.
Ensign Arturo Alamani Jr., commander of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Isabela City, Basilan, said a fisherman reported to their office on Wednesday about the sighting of a dead man in the sea off Lampinigan Island, which is part of Isabela.
The body was later identified through his dog tag as Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Cerbatos. Also on Wednesday, Alamani said a team of rescuers brought ashore another body that was retrieved from Maluso town. The fatality was later identified as Jack Bungso Sr., a resident of Maimbung, Sulu.
On Tuesday afternoon, PCG personnel also retrieved the body of Anacleto Ponollera in the waters off Sicagot Island, which is part of Hadji Muhtamad town. Ponollera carried with him an identification card and a boat ticket. Although a resident of Barangay Santa Catalina in Zamboanga City, he was working at a construction project in Sulu.
Relatives’ call
Cerbatos, Bungso, and Ponollera were among those listed as missing after the ferry fire. The recovery of their remains increased the death toll to 31 — 14 of whom drowned while 17 died in the fire.
This also strengthened earlier calls by relatives of those still missing for authorities to widen the search and retrieval operations, and not just focus on the gutted ferry and the vicinity of the island where it ran aground.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) wrapped up its probe on Monday, finding faulty wiring as a possible cause of the fire. The PCG, however, said the search and rescue or retrieval operations would continue to look for the missing passengers.
As of Wednesday, the Sulu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) listed 20 people still missing.
According to the shipowner, Aleson Shipping Lines Inc., the ferry carried 195 passengers. But as of Tuesday, the Basilan PDRRMO said the number of survivors was 223.