ZAMBOANGA CITY — Vice President Sara Duterte visited two soldiers recovering at Zamboanga Medical Center last week after they survived the sinking of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3, whose wreckage was found near Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan.
Duterte said she was relieved to find both soldiers in stable condition following the incident. She also expressed gratitude to the hospital’s medical staff for their care.
“Ikinagagalak kong malaman na nasa maayos na ang kanilang kalagayan at ligtas na sa kapahamakan,” Duterte said in a social media post, which translates to: “I am glad to know that they are in good condition and out of danger.”
Baluk-Baluk Island is located in the Basilan Strait, a body of water in the southwestern Philippines long associated with maritime activity by both civilian and military personnel operating in the Bangsamoro region.
Duterte closed her post with a nationalistic appeal: “Mahalin natin ang Pilipinas — para sa Diyos, sa Bayan, at sa bawat Pamilyang Pilipino.” (Let us love the Philippines — for God, for the Nation, and for every Filipino Family.)
