Six bodies believed to be passengers of the recreational motorbanca that went missing in the Davao Gulf on January 18, 2026, were recovered over the weekend.

Authorities recovered five bodies in the waters off Maitum, Saragani on Saturday, January 24, 2026.

Four of the bodies were recovered near debris believed to be the boat’s overhead roof cover. The four bodies arrived at the Port of Mabila on Balut Island, Sarangani, Davao Occidental around 10 p.m.

The next day, another body was unloaded from a Philippine Navy vessel and transferred to a smaller boat to reach the Port of Mabila.

Authorities said another body was found around 1 p.m. on Sunday.

From Balut Island, the bodies were airlifted by a Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter and transported to Davao City, where they were brought to a funeral home in Panacan.

The National Bureau of Investigation-Davao (NBI-11) conducted post-mortem examinations to identify the remains.

According to the Office of Civil Defense-Davao (OCD-11), one of the bodies has already been identified.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM) said search and rescue operations will continue for the nine passengers still missing, as of this writing.

“We still believe na nandito parin sila sa atong Philippine area of responsibility that is why tomorrow, our SAR efforts is focused in moving up sa ating dalawang sectors, Sectors 3 and 4,” CGDSEM Commander, Commodore Philipps Soria, said.