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John Unson - Philstar.com
February 2, 2026 | 6:57pm
Officials of the Army's 1102nd Infantry Brigade and the 11th Infantry Division took turns cheering on the soldiers who survived the January 26, 2026 sea mishap in Basilan province in the Bangsamoro region.
Photo courtesy of Philstar.com / John Unson
COTABATO CITY — Among the 316 survivors of the boat mishap in the territorial waters of Basilan on January 26 were 32 personnel from an Army unit in Sulu, who have now returned to their duties in the province.
Officials from the Western Mindanao Command and the Sulu station of state-owned Radyo Pilipinas reported on Monday that Brig. Gen. Alaric Avelino Santos, commander of the 1102nd Infantry Brigade in Sulu, met the 32 personnel of the 21st Infantry Battalion at their headquarters in Jolo town and commended them for surviving the ordeal.
The 32 soldiers were among nearly 400 passengers aboard the M/V Trisha Kirsten 3, which sank before dawn on January 26 near Basilan’s Hadji Muhtamad island while sailing from Zamboanga City Port to Jolo.
Civilian survivors told reporters and personnel from the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office that members of the 21st Infantry Battalion on board helped calm passengers and assisted them in putting on life vests distributed by the crew. Some of the soldiers were returning to Sulu from tactical schooling elsewhere, while others were on vacation in their home provinces.
Emergency responders from the offices of Basilan Gov. Mujiv Hataman and Hadji Muhtamad Mayor Arsina Kahing-Nanoh separately told reporters on Monday that the number of passengers who perished in the incident has reached 43, following the recovery of three additional bodies last Saturday from the waters where the M/V Trisha Kirsten 3 sank.
WestMinCom commander, Army Major Donald Gumiran, has directed officials of units in Basilan and Sulu to assist in the rehabilitation and provide psychological support for the rescued passengers, in coordination with various government agencies.
