Experts cite hazards in recovering bodies from Trisha Kerstin 3

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February 6, 2026 | 12:00am

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Noting health hazards in recovering the remains of missing victims from the sunken M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, police forensic experts yesterday called for a shift of the rescue operation to retrieval and disposal efforts.

Scene of the crime operatives from the Zamboanga peninsula police forensics unit noted that it has been 11 days since the Trisha Kerstin 3 sank in the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Muhtammad, Basilan.

They said that bodies recovered more than a week after the sea mishap are no longer safe to handle due to biological hazards.

Capt. Vandolf Valmoria, medico-legal officer of the Zamboanga peninsula police forensics unit, said that bodies retrieved from the vessel have severely decomposed and are beyond recognition.

To ensure public safety and integrity of the identification process, Valmoria suggested that the bodies be transported quickly to a controlled facility, where the remains can be buried immediately after identification.

He said that upon arrival of the remains at the port, there must be an area for processing, which must be close to the burial site.

Forty-five bodies have so far been recovered by rescue workers and technical divers of the Philippine Coast Guard. The number of survivors remained at 316.

Tulfo vows accountability

Meanwhile, four survivors in the sinking of Trisha Kerstin 3 have disclosed to Sen. Raffy Tulfo the alleged neglected and deplorable condition of the vessel.

After listening to the survivors, Tulfo said the Senate committee on public services, which he chairs, would conduct an inquiry into the issue.

“This time, more decay will be exposed and someone has to be made accountable,” Tulfo said.

On Tuesday, Nur Hussein Sali, Aquino Sajili, Muzhaheeda Ismi and another survivor who asked not to be identified narrated to Tulfo things they observed on the vessel. They were joined by Raimona Romoros, wife of a missing passenger, Alberto Romoros.

Sali said that shortly after the Trisha Kerstin 3 departed the port, he sensed that the boat was overloaded. He said he saw seven wing vans and several motorcycles and vehicles in the cargo bay  even as the vessel’s capacity was only limited to five large trucks.

Sali said that although all bunk beds were fully occupied, there were still passengers occupying the sides of the ship. He said these passengers were likely not listed in the passengers’ manifest.

Sali said the vessel’s facilities were dilapidated. He said the walls in the restrooms were not securely attached and the stairways were rusty.

Ismi corroborated Sali’s claims, saying the ship was infested with cockroaches and the beds were full of bugs.

Sali said when the vessel began to tilt, no crewmember assisted the passengers. He said that life vests were not only insufficient in number, but were also substandard.

Sajili said the Trisha Kerstin 3 used to serve the Tawi-Tawi route, but people in the area did not want to board the ship as they were aware that the vessel was decrepit. He said this must have prompted Aleson Shipping Lines to transfer the ship’s route to Jolo, Sulu