PRO 9 cops recall how bags of chips buoyed M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 survivors

Out of desperation and instinct to save a life, two simple bundles of potato chips became a lifeline for survivors of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 in the dark waters off Basilan, as told to GMA Integrated News by two policemen who were also passengers on the ill-fated ferry.

As the ship sank below the waters in the early hours of January 26, Police Staff Sergeant Ronel Tibar of the PNP Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) grabbed two bundles of potato chips, tied them together, and handed them to a fellow passenger who was already struggling to stay afloat. In that moment of chaos, the improvised flotation device meant the difference between life and death.

Tibar and his fellow police officers did not stop there. Using whatever they could find, they created makeshift floating devices where around 12 passengers clung together in the middle of the sea. The officers stayed close, pulling survivors toward one another to keep them from drifting apart—offering not just physical support, but words of encouragement to keep spirits up as they waited for rescue.

"May nakuha akong chichiriya, na dalawang bundle, itinali ko muna, itinali ko, sabi ko dito ka kumapit, hindi yan lulubog," he recalled.

(I grabbed two bundles of chips, tied them together, and told the other passenger, 'Hold on to this, it will not sink.')

"Habang lumalangoy kami, may nakita kaming apparatus, parang floating boat. Dinala ko siya doon kasi yung apparatus may hawakan sa gilid. Na pwedeng humawak. 

"Palagi ko silang kinakausap. Mino-motivate ko na magsu-survive talaga. Magsu-survive tayo dito. Sinasabihan ko sila wag kayong mag-alala, malapit na ang rescue," he added.

"As we were swimming, we saw an apparatus with handles on the sides. I brought them there where they could hold on. I kept talking to them, motivating them that we were going to survive. 'We're going to survive.' I kept telling them not to worry, that rescue was near.)

In another act of courage, Patrolman Muajer S. Jasilon of RMFB 9 spotted a nearby island. Together with six others, he swam for nearly two hours toward land to seek help from local residents, a move that would later prove crucial in speeding up the rescue.

"Nang lumubog na ang barko, may nakita na akong island na klarong klaro ang ilaw, yung island maitim, ibig sabihin malapit lang. Ang purpose ko po doon ay para makahingi ng tulong," he said.

(As the boat sank, I saw an island that had such a clear light, while the island was dark. That meant it was nearby. Our purpose was to get there to ask for help.)

Amid the heroism, tragedy struck. One police officer lost his life in the sea disaster.

Despite the loss, the selfless actions of the RMFB 9 personnel helped save more than 30 passengers.

Police Brigadier General Edwin Quilates, Regional Director of Police Regional Office 9, announced that the nine police officers involved will be awarded the PNP Heroism Medal on Monday. He said their actions are a powerful reminder that the calling of a police officer goes beyond uniform and assignment—it is a lifelong commitment to serve and protect, even at the risk of one’s own life.

In the vastness of the sea that night, courage floated—in the form of duty,  camaraderie to save total strangers, and once, in two humble bundles of potato chips. — BM, GMA Integrated News