The captain of the ill-fated MV June Aster has voluntarily surfaced and appeared before the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), five days after the vessel was engulfed by fire in a tragedy that left dozens dead and several others missing.
The PCG confirmed Tuesday that Captain Roel Sarmiento appeared voluntarily at the Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. office in Palawan on September 14. He was accompanied by Dindo Macalinao, the company’s HR general, and his presence was subsequently reported to the Emergency Operations Center.
PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said investigators are set to obtain Sarmiento’s account of the events surrounding the incident, including his whereabouts after the fire and what happened in the days leading up to his appearance.
Authorities are expected to scrutinize the captain’s account as part of the continuing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the maritime disaster.
The latest figures released by authorities show that 44 people have been accounted for as survivors, including Sarmiento, while 76 fatalities have been recovered. Another 12 individuals remain missing.
The numbers have also prompted clarification of the vessel’s passenger count. The ticket manifest listed 134 individuals, but two later reported that they had not boarded the vessel. This brings the confirmed number of people who actually boarded the MV June Aster to 132.
With the captain now in the custody of investigators for questioning, authorities are expected to focus on establishing a detailed timeline of the fire, the actions taken before and after the incident, and the circumstances surrounding the deaths and continuing search for those still missing.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to account for every passenger and determine what led to the deadly incident at sea.