Bodies of victims recovered from MV June Aster arrive in Coron, Palawan

The bodies of 30 victims recovered by authorities on the MV June Aster on Friday have made it back to land in Coron, Palawan on Saturday.

The BRP Cape Engaño of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) arrived at the Borac Port in Coron at around 9:00 a.m., according to a social media report from GMA News reporter James Agustin.

At the port, the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives (PNP SOCO) have set up a station to process the bodies.

Several relatives of the passengers are in Coron, still hoping to find their missing loved ones.

The PCG estimated that at least 35 people have died in the tragedy, with around 54 people still missing. There are 43 survivors, some of whom are still recovering from their injuries at the hospital.

In a press briefing on the same day, PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said that while the Coast Guard is tasked with bringing the bodies to the port, it is the PNP SOCO who is charged with processing and identifying the remains.

Authorities are still assessing if there were still bodies inside, Cayabyab said.

While they are still determining the cause of the fire, Cayabyab said that witnesses recalled a loud explosion and fire spreading quickly.

However, Cayabyab said that the main priority at the moment was recovering the bodies.

“Currently we are focused now on the retrieval and after that we will proceed with the investigation,” Cayabyab said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The PCG spokesperson also said that it is possible that there were more people onboard the MV June Aster than what was on the ship’s manifest.

She encouraged relatives who believe that their loved ones were onboard to coordinate with the local government unit of Coron.

In an update on Saturday afternoon, more bodies were found by the PCG and PNP-SOCO inside the MV June Aster on Saturday, Cayabyab said, Agustin reported.

The PCG has yet to give details as to how many bodies were found on Saturday.

In a 24 Oras Weekend report by James Agustin on Saturday, relatives of the missing passengers anxiously waited for news about their loved ones.

Jonnsban Tibay was supposed to renew his vows with his wife, Eden, on Sunday.

“Yung gabi na yun, nag-video call ulit kami. Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘wag mo patayin ito, mag-continue tayo ng video call.’ So that moment, sabi ko, ‘mag-join ka sa prayer.’ Biglang nag-cut,” Tibay said.

(That night, we had another video call. I told her, ‘Don’t end the call. Let’s continue our video call.’ At that moment, I told her, ‘Join me in prayer.’ Then the call suddenly ended.)

Tibay was certain that Eden was unable to jump from the boat because she was physically weak. He was devastated, saying she would not have been on the boat had it not been for the occasion.

The local government of Coron has gathered the families of the missing passengers.

Coron Public Information Officer and Tourism Officer Kim Ablaña said authorities are collecting and organizing information about the bodies recovered so they can match the remains with DNA samples from the victims’ relatives.

The latest information from the PNP said two of the 30 passengers have already been processed. The local government is also looking for a temporary holding area for the bodies that have yet to be identified.

The MV June Aster left Baseco in Manila and was en route to Coron in Palawan when it was engulfed by flames around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday night. —KG/VBL, GMA News