Murder, corruption eyed vs operator of Trisha Kerstin 3

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February 13, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Sen. Raffy Tulfo yesterday brought up the possibility of filing murder and corruption charges against Aleson Shipping Lines and the surviving crewmembers of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, which sank in the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan more than two weeks ago.

Tulfo, chairman of the Senate public services committee, said the shipping company and 18 crewmembers who survived should be charged with murder for deploying a ship that is not seaworthy, and for not teaching passengers how to wear a life vest.

A survivor said the cabinets were the life vests were stored were locked. He said when they got hold of the vests, some of these were damaged and not usable.

Tulfo thanked Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Manuel Cabochan III for agreeing with him that criminal charges for graft and corruption should be filed against Aleson.

Cabochan said the number of fatalities, survivors and the missing surpassed the vessel’s carrying capacity of 352 passengers and 27 crewmembers.

Tulfo called for the revocation of the license of Aleson, citing the company’s history of sea accidents including the sinking of the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in March 2023, which killed 31 people.

Survivors and their relatives described the Trisha Kerstin 3 as dilapidated and off-balanced due to uneven distribution of vehicles and other cargo.

Fatima Sweenee Sajili, a relative of a survivor, said the vessel was overloaded. She said  175 of the survivors were not listed in the passenger manifest.

Sajili accused the Philippine Coast Guard of cover-up, citing an alleged PCG statement claiming there were only 10 people missing.

As of yesterday, the death toll in the sea mishap had risen to 53 after another body was retrieved from the wreckage on Wednesday.

Another survivor, Nur Sali, said it took only one minute for the vessel to sink. He said he has been traumatized by his failure to save his sibling and aunt.

“I can still hear their voices. Those flashbacks will forever haunt me,” Sali said.

Jun Warik, who loaded sacks of rice onto the ship, said the vessel was listing even before it sailed.

PCG Cmdre. Oliver Tanseco denied accusations of a cover-up, saying the agency will determine the cause of the tragedy when the vessel is lifted from underwater.

He said the testimonies of  survivors would be part of the investigation. –  Delon Porcalla, Jose Rodel Clapano