COTABATO CITY (February 3) — Bangsamoro interim lawmakers are seeking to ban a shipping company from operating anywhere in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following the sinking of MV Trisha Kirsten 3 off Basilan on January 26, a maritime disaster that has so far claimed 42 lives, with dozens still missing.
The move comes as grieving families continue to plead for the search to go on, saying uncertainty has only deepened their trauma. At least 60 passengers remain unaccounted for, according to relatives from Basilan and Sulu who say their loved ones were not among those rescued.
“Whether our relatives are dead or alive, we need to see their bodies and end our anxiety,” a woman from Basilan said in Filipino in a video circulating online.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported late Friday that 316 passengers survived the sinking, but its latest bulletin did not specify how many remain missing, fueling confusion and anguish among families.
In response, members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament—John Anthony “Jet” Lim, Jose Lorena, Nabil Tan, Don Mustapha Loong, and Nurredha Misuari—have filed a resolution seeking to bar Aleson Shipping Lines Inc. (ASLI), the owner of the vessel, from operating in any part of BARMM.
“All of those who perished in that incident are our constituents,” said Lim, the BTA’s majority floor leader and spokesman, underscoring the lawmakers’ push for swift accountability.
The resolution, submitted on January 30 for priority deliberation, calls on BARMM agencies to enforce the suspension orders earlier issued by national regulators, including the Department of Transportation and the Maritime Industry Authority, against ASLI.
Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua has directed the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Bangsamoro Ports Management Authority to strictly implement the suspension within the region. In a separate order, he tasked the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) and the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) to lead coordinated relief and response operations for affected families.
A command center has been established in Basilan to centralize assistance, track missing passengers, and support grieving relatives. The MILG’s Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (READi) is spearheading operations, with technical teams deployed to assist local governments in managing the recovery and documentation of fatalities and missing persons.
BARMM agencies have also conducted coordination meetings with the PCG, Philippine National Police, Philippine Red Cross, and disaster risk offices in Isabela City and Lamitan City to streamline rescue, retrieval, and relief efforts.
In Sulu, the MSSD has begun distributing food and relief packs, with 51 families of passenger-victims receiving assistance so far.
Macacua stressed that the regional response must go beyond immediate aid and enforcement.
“BARMM-initiated interventions should not mean passing blame,” he said. “They must lead to measures that will prevent a repeat of this tragedy.”
As families continue to wait for answers, the proposed regional ban signals growing pressure on maritime operators—and regulators—to ensure passenger safety on routes long relied upon by island communities in the Bangsamoro region.
