Philippine police back task force on June Aster ferry fire
An interagency body would examine the ferry's port-to-port operations with the death toll at 77
The Philippine National Police has said it will support the creation of an interagency task force to investigate the fire aboard the ferry MV June Aster, which has left 77 people dead and eight unaccounted for.
The ferry, operated by Atienza Interisland Ferries, was on passage from Manila to Palawan on 9 September when fire broke out. She was subsequently run aground off Coron. Forty-three people on board survived.
Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., the chief of the national police, said the force would "provide the necessary forensic, investigative and law enforcement support to help establish the facts and determine accountability, if warranted." The proposal was discussed on 18 September at Camp Crame in Quezon City, in a meeting between Nartatez, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and the Philippine Coast Guard commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.
The task force would begin with the ferry's port-to-port operations and the circumstances of the casualty, and with closer coordination between the agencies already working on it. That first line of enquiry matters for what it covers: manifests, loading, cargo carried and the checks made before departure, rather than the fire itself.
Evidence recovery has run in parallel. The coast guard carried out a second sweep of the wreck and reported recovering 7,865 gallons of oily water mixture from the vessel. Samples of lube oil, fuel oil, contaminated oil and seawater were collected for laboratory analysis, including from the engine room.
The police maritime group's 2nd Special Operations Unit, working through its Coron special boat crew, has continued to support search, rescue and retrieval operations at the site.
Two strands of investigation now run side by side, and they answer different questions. A coast guard marine casualty inquiry establishes what happened aboard and whether the vessel and her operation met the standards required. A police-supported task force with forensic and law enforcement powers is built to establish whether anyone is answerable for it. Which of the two ends up leading will determine how much of the evidence gathered from the hull ever becomes public.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 24 September 2026.
