Soldiers who survived ferry mishap off Basilan undergo counselling

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 19 April)—Twenty-three soldiers who survived the March 29 fire aboard M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 underwent in-house counselling at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Busbus, Jolo, Sulu, the military said.

_{Soldiers who survived the M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 fire off Basilan late March 2023 undergo counselling at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, headquarters of the 11th Infantry “Alakdan” Division. Photo courtesy of 11ID}

Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the 11th Infantry “Alakdan” Division, said in a phone interview that following the search and rescue operations conducted by the Naval Forces Western Mindanao in the last days of March, soldiers and policemen were found to have survived said incident, and even helped other passengers in the rescue.

Maj. Pedro Michael Mijares, commander of the Division Integrated Counselling Office (DICO), told MindaViews they used cognitive behavioral therapy to the survivors of the ill-fated M/V Lady Mary Joy 3.

“It is a talking therapy and the most suited approach for survivors. This therapy focuses on how their thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect their feelings and actions,” Mijares said.

It took a while to schedule counselling since some of the soldiers were still brought by the rescue teams to Zamboanga before transporting them to Sulu, he added.

Mijares said the DICO started the counseling on April 3, a few days after the incident, upon the request of Lt. Col. Michael Colanta, commander of the 41st Infantry Battalion. Counselling session, the DICO head added, lasted until April 13.

Colanta later thanked the Jolo-based 11ID for its intervention and commended DICO for being proactive in making sure that the mental health of the affected troopers was being taken care of.

“In line with the mission of DICO in giving an individual counseling to the personnel of the Division, their team in DICO exerted extra efforts to ensure that their mandated tasks were performed well, especially where the 23 soldiers were concerned,” Colanta said.

_{Maj. Michael Mijares, commander of the 11ID’s Division Integrated Counselling Office, and psychometrician Cassandra Xyla Sedillo discuss the findings following their counselling for the soldiers who survived the March 29 fire incident on board M/V Lady Mary Joy 3. Photo courtesy of 11ID}

Mijares said that after the counselling period, the soldiers went back to their respective units “in full duty status.” He added that those previously assigned to companies have been moved into their battalions for a change of environment.

“Though an early intervention has been made, the office is continuously exerting efforts in making sure that their mental health will not be at risk,” he said.

Mijares, a certified counselor, was assisted in the counselling process by Pvt. Casandra Xyla Sedillo, a psychometrician.

On March 29, Aleson Shipping Lines’ M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 left Zamboanga City. It caught fire at the territorial sea waters of the island-municipality of Hadji Muhtamad in Basilan nearing midnight. The boat was set to dock in Jolo port on March 30 in the morning.

More than 200 people, among them soldiers whose deployment was in Sulu, were in the ferry’s passenger manifest. (Frencie Carreon / MindaNews)