President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide immediate assistance to victims of a sunken ferry in Basilan waters on Monday, as rescue operations continue.

“Whatever happened in this ferry accident, the DSWD has been instructed by the President to provide appropriate assistance to our fellow Filipinos affected and victimized by the incident,” said Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro during a Palace press briefing.

The passenger-cargo roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members, sank at around 1:50 a.m. near Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan while en route to Jolo, Sulu, leaving several people dead and others missing.

Castro added that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is conducting ongoing rescue operations while investigating the cause of the accident.

“Sa ngayon ay kung anuman ang nangyari dito sa ferry accident, ang DSWD ay inutusan na ng Pangulo para mabigyan ng karampatang tulong ang ating mga kababayan na naapektuhan nito at nabiktima sa nasabing incident (We are coordinating closely with the Coast Guard to determine if the vessel was carrying more passengers than allowed and whether it violated regulations, to ensure the protection of all passengers),” Castro said.

The DSWD reported that prepositioned ready-to-eat food boxes have already been distributed to rescued passengers and crew members at Isabela City Port, in coordination with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) of Isabela City, Basilan.

Additionally, the Quick Response Team of DSWD Field Office 9 - Zamboanga Peninsula conducted profiling and needs assessments of passengers to identify other forms of assistance required.