When the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 went down in the predawn darkness of 26 January, what followed was not only a maritime disaster but a test of human resolve played out in pounding seas off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan.

The roll-on/roll-off ferry, carrying 359 passengers from Zamboanga City to Jolo, Sulu, was overwhelmed by rough waters minutes after trouble struck.

Waves crashed onto the decks, cables snapped and the vessel listed sharply before sinking within minutes. At least 45 people were confirmed dead and 40 others remained missing.

Among the 316 survivors rescued by local fishermen and responding forces were 32 soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 21st Infantry “Invincible” Battalion, part of the 1102nd Infantry Brigade based in Sulu.

They were traveling to or from their units when the ship went down. What began as a routine crossing turned into hours of chaos, fear and improvised rescue.

Several soldiers recalled being jolted awake by alarms and shouts as seawater surged into the lower decks. Passengers scrambled for life vests amid darkness and tilting floors.

Swept away

Private First Class Donald Maligaya said he secured his own vest before helping an elderly man and a young boy fasten theirs. He later joined other soldiers trying unsuccessfully to free jammed lines as the ship lurched.

Others were swept into the sea when the hull finally gave way.

Corporal Nestor Abrilla said soldiers quickly shifted roles, steadying panicked civilians, lifting women over railings and guiding children toward rafts before being forced into the water themselves.

In the open sea, soldiers clung to debris, rafts and each other. Some towed injured passengers, others calmed elderly survivors or searched for those slipping beneath the waves.

Private First Class Jonalyn Benaro said she gave up a life vest to an older passenger and was later freed from rising floodwaters by a fellow soldier who returned to help.

Rescue came hours later as fishing boats and military units reached the area. Survivors endured cold, hunger and exhaustion before reaching shore.

Brig. Gen. Alaric Avelino delos Santos, commander of the 1102nd Infantry Brigade, later commended the soldiers, saying many put civilians