PCG: MV June Aster captain liable over deadly fire

The captain of the MV June Aster is liable for the fire that struck the ferry in the waters off Coron, Palawan, even though it passed mandated safety checks and was not overcrowded when it caught fire, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) announced Saturday.

However, the PCG and other agencies are still trying to locate him.

PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, in a press conference, said that despite not being on the official tally of survivors, Capt. Roel Sarmiento was reported to be alive and was with other surviving crew members when they went to the barangay.

Cayabyab said the PCG is exerting all efforts to locate Sarmiento to obtain his statement regarding last Wednesday's fire that killed at least 35 people and left dozens still missing.

Given the large number of fatalities and missing persons, the PCG spokesperson said the captain is responsible.

"Defintiely the captain has a responsibility and a liability," she said.

"I heard some information na buhay itong kapitan, as we speak po wala pa kaming natatanggap na anumang statement or anumang communication as to the status of the captain of the vessel," Cayabyab said.

She added that the ship's captain is responsible for all his passengers and cargo.

Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., the shipping company that owns the MV June Aster, has been trying to speak with the captain, who was reportedly recovering from trauma following the incident, according to a spokesperson for the firm.

Cayabyab said 117 passengers and 17 crew members were on the ship's manifest, totaling 134 people aboard. She noted that the MV June Aster had a maximum passenger capacity of 333 — more than double the number of listed individuals.

Cayabyab has not ruled out the possibility that there were more passengers than what was listed, given the number of people the vessel can accommodate.

Cayabyab also said there were enough life jackets aboard, while the ship owner vowed to provide transportation and burial assistance to the Coron ship fire victims.

The passenger and cargo vessel also underwent an Emergency and Readiness Evaluation test, which it passed. The test included a firefighting drill.

"Ang question na lang po natin ngayon is, after the incident happened, ano po ba ang naging reaction at ano po ba ang ginawa ng crew at kapitan?" Cayabyab said.

Other survivors recalled in their statements that immediately after the explosion, some people jumped into the water, she added.

Cayabyab said authorities are still determining the cause of the fire and have not ruled anything out. The fire was said to have started in the ship's cargo hold.

Thirty-five individuals have been confirmed dead, with about 54 others still unaccounted for. Authorities have counted 43 survivors.

The PCG has not ruled out the possibility that there were people on board who were not registered on the ship's manifest.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined by authorities, although the PCG has said it started in the ship's cargo hold.

On the other hand, Kim Ablaña, municipal tourism and public information officer, said that of the 43 survivors rescued, 15 are still admitted to a hospital. Eleven have already been discharged and are now housed at a designated evacuation center, while the others were sent home.

The survivors are now being attended to by social workers providing psychosocial assistance in a room designated for that purpose.

Ablaña, in a radio news program interview, said the challenge now in rescue and retrieval operations is the ship's location and the weather.

"Simula nang masunog, maulan. Friday ng hapon lang nacontrol," the municipal officer said.

Ablaña said the accident was the first to happen in Palawan and that the passenger-cargo ship has only a once-a-week route from Manila, adding that no oil spill has been sighted so far.