BASILAN, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recovered another cadaver on Wednesday morning, February 11, 2026, during ongoing search and rescue (SAR) and dive operations at the wreck site of MV Trisha Kerstin 3 near the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island, Basilan.

At approximately 7:00 a.m., PCG technical divers began their descent into the submerged vessel. Within fifteen minutes, the dive team located and retrieved the body of a female victim from inside the wreck. The BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) deployed its rigid-hull inflatable boat to transport the cadaver from the dive site for proper handling and disposition.

With this latest recovery, the confirmed death toll has risen to 52, while 316 survivors have been recorded in connection with the maritime tragedy. Search and retrieval efforts continue as authorities work to account for all passengers and crew.

The sinking of MV Trisha Kerstin 3 has once again cast a spotlight on maritime safety in the Philippines, a nation heavily dependent on sea travel for inter-island mobility. Each recovery operation serves as a painful reminder of the risks faced by ordinary commuters who rely on ferries and passenger vessels daily.

While investigations into the cause of the sinking are ongoing, public discourse is increasingly centered on vessel maintenance standards, regulatory enforcement, weather advisories, and emergency preparedness. Maritime disasters are not new to the country, yet each incident raises the same pressing concern: are lessons truly being learned, or are safety reforms only intensified in the aftermath of tragedy?

As families await closure and authorities continue their search beneath the waters of Basilan, one difficult question lingers: what systemic changes must be made to ensure that sea travel in the Philippines does not continue to come at such a devastating human cost? (Larawan mula: Philippine Coast Guard / Facebook)