The cause of the fire that engulfed MV June Aster remains unclear as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) continues its investigation into the maritime disaster that has left 76 people dead. Courtesy: PCG
CORON, Palawan — The captain of the MV June Aster, a passenger vessel ravaged by fire off Coron, Palawan, emerged on Monday, five days after the deadly incident, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
Marina urges MV June Aster captain to come forward, explain tragedy
The captain appeared at the Coron office of Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., the vessel’s operator, and was reported to authorities by the shipping company’s HR general manager, Dindo Macalinao, according to the PCG.
A copy of the captain’s statement, exclusively provided by the company’s legal counsel Richard Delos Reyes to ABS-CBN News, detailed his account of the incident and the actions he took after learning that the vessel was on fire.
WHAT HAPPENED
The captain said the voyage from Baseco Port in Manila began normally at 8:14 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2026.
The journey remained uneventful throughout Sept. 9 until about 6:29 p.m., when, according to the captain, a steward entered the bridge while he was on watch and reported a fire.
He said he asked where the fire was and immediately ordered passengers to be brought into the bridge and the door opened.
“829H habang ako ay nasa bridge watch nakapwesto, pumasok ang aking steward at nagsabi na may sunog. Ang naisagot ko ay saan at derekta kong sinabi na papasukin ang mga pasahero sa bridge at buksan ang pinto,” the captain said in his statement.
The captain said he then ordered an AB, or able-bodied seaman, to prepare the water hose and fire extinguishers.
But when he looked from the starboard wing, he said he saw the right and left sides of the vessel already engulfed in intense flames.
He said he rushed to the vessel’s very high frequency (VHF) radio and public address (PA) system to warn passengers, but the vessel suddenly lost power.
“Tapos sinabi ko sa AB na prepare ang hose ng tubig at fire extinguisher at sumilip ako sa starboard wing nakita ko buong kanan na bahagi ng barko ay napakalakas ng apoy pati sa kaliwa tanaw ko. Dali dali akong pumunta sa Very High Frequency (VHF) at sa Public Address (PA) para makapag inform kaso biglang nagka-block out na,” he said.
The captain said he immediately ordered the seamen to deploy the life rafts because there was no other option.
After the two life rafts were deployed, he said he ordered passengers to jump into them. He also recalled helping a mother over the railings because she was having difficulty and was frightened.
“Nag-order agad ako sa AB na akyat kayo at ihulog na ang life raft dahil wala ng choice; Noong nakalaglag na ang dalawang life raft, ay pinatalon ko na mga pasahero tapos may isang nanay pang tinulungan namin makahakbang sa railings dahil nahihirapan at takot na takot” the captain said.
Once the crew and passengers were in the water, the captain said he removed his clothes, soaked them in water and used them to cover his mouth so he could breathe.
He said he tried to open the door to the air-conditioned accommodation area in case someone was still inside, but could not proceed because of the intense heat.
'TALON NA KAP, TALON NA!'
He then looked toward the starboard side and said crew members were calling on him to jump.
“Noong nasa baba na sila ng tubig pati crew na nasa bridge nanggaling, naghubad ako ng damit at binasa ko ng tubig para itakip ko sa bibig para makahinga at binuksan ko ulit ang door ng aircon accommodation na baka sakaling may tao papalapit sa pinto kaso wala na talaga at ng mainit na masyado hindi ko na rin kinaya tapos sumilip ako sa kanan ng wing at tinawag nila ako na 'talon na kap, talon na,'” the captain said.
He said he returned to the bridge, put his clothes back on and eventually jumped into the water without a life jacket because the heat had become unbearable.
“Nagbalik ulit ako sa bridge at sinuot ko ang damit ko dahil wala na akong choice dahil sobrang init na wala nang chance mag stay hanggang sa tumalon ako nang walang life jacket” he said.
While in the water, the captain said he was about 30 meters away from an AB and asked to hold onto the seaman’s life jacket because he was already struggling.
When he reached the seaman, he said the AB lent him his life jacket and swam toward the life raft.
The captain said he continued swimming toward the raft, where some of his companions were already aboard. They reportedly got off after the vessel began moving closer to the raft.
He said he was hit against the raft by a swell but ignored the impact so he could climb aboard. He then helped a mother get onto the raft.
“About 30 meters ang layo ko sa isang AB at nasambit ko na pahawak sa lifejacket nya at ako ay nahihirapan na. Noong narating ko sya pinahiram nya sakin ang lifejacket nya at nag langoy na lang po sya papuntang liferaft tapos ako po ay tuloy tuloy lang sa pag langoy papuntang raft kung saan andoon po sila pagdating ko sa raft nag sibabaan po sila dahil papalapit sa barko ang raft,” the captain said in his statement.
"Pag kahawak ko sa raft ako'y nauntog dahil sa swell, binaliwala ko lang para makaakyat sa raft tapos sabi ko balik kayo onboard habang hawak ko ang kamay ni nanay at nagtawag ako ng AB na tulungan natin si nanay makaakyat ng raft,” he add.
Once aboard the raft, the captain said three seamen, the mother and another passenger, who was about 30 years old, paddled continuously.
Another passenger later asked to board the raft and was helped aboard before the group was rescued by fishermen and brought to shore.
TRAUMA
The captain said he broke down in tears after reaching land and stared blankly, saying there was nothing more he could do to stop the fire from spreading.
He said the trauma caused him to walk along the road until he eventually reached an unspecified location.
He added that he continues to think about how quickly the events unfolded.
“Matapos makarating sa lupa, ako ay lubos na naluluha sa pangyayari. Natulala na lamang ako sapagkat wala na ako nagawa para pigilan pa ang paglaki ng apoy. Sa sobrang trauma ko ay naglakad lang po ako nang naglakad sa kalsada hanggang sa makarating ako kung saan man. Hanggang ngayon, isip pa din ako nang isip kung paano naging sobrang bilis ng pangyayari,” he said in his statement.
The captain did not say in his statement how the fire started or where he went after being rescued.
Meanwhile, PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemi Cayabyab said authorities had spoken with the captain and gathered information that could help clarify the tragedy. She did not disclose details of their conversation.
Cayabyab said authorities would respect the captain’s rights, including his right to legal counsel during the investigation.
“I-observe rin natin yung mga karapatan ng kapitan particularly sa pagkakaroon ng abogado para alalayan siya sa isasagawa nating imbestigasyon. Yan naman po ang pinaka-priority natin para wala rin tayo maba-violate na mga karapatan ni kapitan. Isasagawa na po natin ang investigation kasi yan naman po talaga ang inaantay natin, yung appearance ni kapitan.” Cayabyab said.
The PCG and Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. did not present the captain to the media.
Following the captain’s appearance, the PCG revised the number of people still missing to 12 and raised the number of survivors to 44 in connection with the MV June Aster fire.
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