The Philippines is an archipelago with about 7,641 islands. For millions of Filipinos, traveling by sea is not a novelty or a luxury; rather, it is a necessity. Ferries and passenger vessels function as roads, bridges and lifelines. Sea travel, by this reality, should be as safe as travel by land. Government must recognize this not merely as geography, but as policy. However, the events of the past weeks in Mindanao suggest that it has not. A passenger ferry bound from Zamboanga City to Jolo met disaster on an early Monday morning, carrying over 350 passengers, leaving confirmed fatalities and hundreds rescued only through urgent, improvised efforts. Days earlier, a dive boat capsized in the Davao Gulf, with only one survivor and several lives lost or still unaccounted for. Two weeks prior, motorboat M/L Nurdia encountered trouble off Tawi-Tawi Island, which thankfully recorded no fatalities, but should not be dismissed. Take note: For these accidents, there was no strong typhoon that caused them, and this reveals a troubling pattern.

De Jesus, D. (2026, February 2). Our troubled waters. Daily Tribune, p. A5.