THE SEARCH for the remaining passengers of the capsized MBCA Amejara has extended into Indonesian waters following potential leads, authorities confirmed Friday.
Commodore Philipps Soria, commander of Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM), announced during a press briefing at the Sasa Headquarters that the Indonesian Maritime Agency has sighted objects—possibly debris or bodies—linked to the vessel.
“We received an unconfirmed report that two items were recovered by the Indonesians. We are currently verifying if these are bodies or floating objects,” Soria stated.
The Timeline
During the briefing, Soria provided a detailed 11-day timeline of the search and rescue (SAR) operations:
January 19 (Day 1): The incident was reported at 11:30 AM after the wife of a passenger grew concerned. By 2:27 PM, assets from Davao Oriental and Occidental were deployed to the waters between Don Marcelino and Sta. Maria.
January 20 (Day 2): Rescuers recovered one survivor, Christopher Bulig , at 10:46 AM His testimony allowed the PCG to adjust the search area toward Sarangani.
January 21–23 (Days 3–5): Operations yielded no recoveries.
January 24 (Day 6): A major breakthrough occurred when the Philippine Navy (PS 37 and LC 296) recovered five bodies .
January 25 (Day 7): A sixth body was recovered at 1:04 PM along the coast of Maasim, Sarangani.
January 26 (Day 8): Search teams found a life ring with “Amejara” markings in Maitum, Sarangani.
January 28 (Day 10): A Coast Guard vessel recovered a life jacket marked with the vessel’s name.
January 29 (Day 11): Two more life jackets and a door believed to be from the Amejara were found in Kiamba, Sarangani.
Crossing borders
Soria noted that the search has shifted significantly westward, reaching the maritime borders of Zamboanga and Basilan.
Early Friday morning, a Philippine Navy aircraft began an aerial sweep after the Indonesian government granted clearance for the Philippine Air Force and Navy to enter Sectors 1 and 2 of the Indonesian Area of Responsibility .
“We have flight clearance for overflight search and rescue operations until tomorrow. Our Navy aircraft continues to search for the missing passengers,” Soria said.
Photo courtesy of Coast Guard-SEM
