SOLEMN departure honors were rendered for the late Staff Sergeant Windel Sabuyas Jr. of the 21st Infantry Battalion (21IB) on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Colonel Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City, in recognition of his faithful, dedicated, and selfless service to the nation, the military said.
The 11th Infantry Division said Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Borras, 21IB commander, together with Jenelyn Sabuyas, the bereaved widow, and family members attended the ceremony.
The ceremony was rendered by the 530th Air Base Group where fellow soldiers stood in formation during the solemn rites to honor the fallen trooper whose courage and compassion were evident during the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 tragedy.
Following the rites, the remains of Sabuyas were transported with full military respect aboard a Philippine Air Force NC212i aircraft bound for Tuguegarao City Airport, where arrival honors were also rendered.
The 11ID said that interment and full funeral honors will be conducted in Lasam, Cagayan.
The 11ID and Joint Task Force Orion, headed by Major General Leonardo Pe a, extended its deepest sympathies to the bereaved family and reaffirms its commitment to honor the life, heroism, and sacrifice of Sabuyas, a soldier whose legacy of valor will continue to inspire the ranks.
Meanwhile, the death toll in connection with the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 maritime incident has increased to 64 as another two cadavers were recovered from the ship wreck on Wednesday, February 18.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) technical divers recovered the cadavers -- a female and a baby -- as underwater operations continue in the vicinity of Baluk-Baluk Island, Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan.
With the recovery, 15 passengers of the ill-fated M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 remain missing. There are 293 survivors in connection with the incident.
The PCG emphasized that the number of fatalities, survivors and missing passengers are consolidated through the joint validation efforts of the Philippine National Police-Scene of the Crime Operatives, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao, and the affected families who conduct daily coordination with interagency search and rescue authorities.
M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank 2.75 nautical miles northeast of Baluk-Baluk Island, Hadji Muhtamad while on a voyage to Jolo, Sulu, from Zamboanga City on January 26. (SunStar Zamboanga)