THE Philippine Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM) is set to relieve the commander of the Coast Guard Sta. Ana Substation along with its seven personnel.
Macy Gabion, acting deputy commander of CGDSEM, said this directive came from the district commander and is part of the ongoing investigation into the capsizing of motorbanca, MBCA Amejara.
"This is the verbal instruction of the district commander," Gabion said on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at Sta. Ana Port in Davao City.
Gabion said that they will not divulge the names of the commander and the personnel considering that the investigation is still ongoing.
The eight personnel were assigned to the headquarters of Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao on January 19, 2026 or the day the incident happened.
To recall, the motorbanca MBCA Amejara departed Sta. Ana Wharf in Davao City at around 8 a.m. on January 17, bound for Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental. The vessel was last sighted in waters off Sarangani, Davao Occidental, and was officially reported missing on January 19 at around 3 p.m. after failing to reach its destination.
The survivor, crew member Christopher Bulig, cited Amihan as the reason the vessel capsized.
He said that the vessel encountered violent winds and towering waves which ultimately caused the motorbanca to capsize in the Davao Gulf.
All assets mobilized
Gabion said that they mobilized all their assets for the search and rescue of the individuals that were aboard the motorbanks that capsized. She said that they deployed the islander which would be conducting an aerial search.
She expressed that the authorities are coordinating with private individuals on providing assets for the search and rescue operations, citing that an individual has committed air assets as well as drones. These assets will become part of the operations once they are checked by the coast guard.
On the Navy’s part, LtCdr. Jerome Bryan Mauring, CMO officer of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM), said that although they have all their assets in place it is still hard looking for the missing individuals considering the vast seas of Mindanao.
Meanwhile, Muring said that they have the C28 maritime patrol enroute to Davao from Mactan Cebu, which is equipped with a camera capable of zooming in far objects. He said that they also have the Rotary Aircraft and Black Hawk in General Santos City on standby for possible air evacuation, as well as certified scuba divers ready to be deployed to GenSan or Davao.
Assistance urged
CGDSEM said that they are already coordinating with foreign authorities on their ongoing rescue operations, closely coordinating with their Indonesian counterparts.
Gadion revealed that they sent and received a letter to Indonesian authorities on January 21, 2026 informing them of the operations that the coast guard is conducting.
She, however, said that they have not coordinated with the American and Chinese Coast Guard for their operations as of yet. RGP