PCG files raps vs MV June Aster skipper

PCG files raps vs MV June Aster skipper
30 Sept 2026(?) https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2313093/pcg-files-raps-vs-mv-june-aster-sk...

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY— The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) filed a complaint against Captain Roel Sarmiento for alleged falsification of a public document in connection with the Sept. 9 fire that gutted the MV June Aster while 128 passengers and crew members were aboard off the waters of Coron, Palawan.

“The first criminal complaint filed by the PCG [with the Department of Justice] is for falsification of a public document under Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code against the captain,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab told the Inquirer in a telephone interview on Monday.

Cayabyab said Sarmiento was found liable for discrepancies in the Master’s Declaration of Safe Departure (MDSD), which he signed and submitted to the boarding team before the vessel left port. The MDSD contains the vessel’s passenger and crew manifest, she said.

The finding was based on preliminary hearings conducted as part of the maritime safety and maritime crime investigations, Cayabyab said.

“Initially, we had a figure of 134 MV June Aster occupants, but as the operation progressed, the tally dropped to 128. This means six passengers listed in the ticket manifest did not board the vessel. That is what we are looking into—the six passengers listed in the initial manifest who did not board,” she said in Filipino.

Some passengers reportedly failed to arrive before the vessel left Baseco Port on the evening of Sept. 9. One passenger listed in the manifest decided not to board after discovering that the ticket he bought was for a different destination, while another opted to take a plane to Coron.

Cayabyab said the MDSD signed by Sarmiento declares that the vessel complied with safety regulations, had the correct number of passengers and crew members, and had the proper placement of cargo.