Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo points to a monitor that displays an image of the Super Ferry 9 during a briefing on the status of rescue operations at the Coast Guard headquarters at the South Harbor in Manila. (Photo by LINUS ESCANDOR)

At least nine persons were killed, four others injured, while two are still missing after a passenger ship sank off Banga Point in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, early Sunday morning, according to Coast Guard reports.

Preliminary reports released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said that at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, authorities received a distress call from the Iloilo-bound Super Ferry 9 that it was listing.

The Coast Guard and the Navy immediately dispatched rescue vessels to the site of the accident. The Aboitiz Shipping Lines who owns Super Ferry 9 also dispatched two of its passenger vessels, the MV Integrity and MV Myriad, to help save the distressed passengers.

As of 7 a.m. Monday, 957 passengers were already rescued including 265 who were brought aboard the Integrity while 446 others, including two of the fatalities, were temporarily brought aboard the Myriad.

About 171 others were also reportedly staying on a Navy rescue vessel.

Most of the passengers who were earlier reported as miisng have been found. Two passengers are still missing.

According Andrew Deyto, Aboitiz Shipping’s assistant vice president for sales and management, the Super Ferry 9 skippered by Captain Jose Yap had a capacity of more than 1,100 persons. At the time of the sinking, it had 968 persons on board including 847 passengers, 107 crew members and seven sea marshals.

Deyto said life rafts and vests inside Super Ferry 9 were enough for all the passengers.

“We have more than enough sea rafts and life jackets inside so kasyang kasya sa dami ng mga pasahero, sobra pa nga eh,” he said.

The ship captain ordered the crew and passengers to abandon ship past 10 a.m. Sunday. Yap is currently onboard the PG-116 Navy vessel and is regularly coordinating with the authorities.

Meanwhile, President Arroyo ordered security forces to exhaust all resources to rescue the passengers from the capsized ship.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony Golez said the President also asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide assistance to the victims of the ill-fated vessel.

Representing the President, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita went to the NDCC headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo to check on the rescue operations, according to Golez.

“Early this morning, President Arroyo directed Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to mobilize all assets of the Armed Forces to rescue the passengers. Although there are still 88 missing, because of the early directive of the President, many people have been saved,” he said over government radio.

He praised the quick response of the Navy, Air Force and the Coast Guard in saving the lives of the passengers.

According to PCG Commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, he had alerted all Coast Guard units and detachments in the area for the continuing search and rescue operation. He also deployed the BRP Corregidor for precautionary oil spill response operations.

Commander Abdulwahid Utalan, a Coast Guard officer in Zamboanga City, said in a radio interview that they received a distress call from the ship's captain between 3:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. Sunday that the ship was about to capsize.

Utalan said the ship was near Panga Point in Barangay San Ramon, Zamboanga del Norte when the ship's captain declared abandon ship.

Asked whether bad weather may have caused the incident, Utalan said the weather in the Zamboanga Peninsula was fair at the time.

Tamayo said they are eyeing engine or technical problems in the vessel that may have caused it to tilt and eventually sink.

"Base sa report na natanggap namin, parang may problema ata sa generator. Parang nagpapatay sindi. It was on and off," he said.

The passenger vessel left the port of General Santos City at around 10 a.m. Saturday and was expected to arrive at the port of Iloilo City at around 4 p.m. Sunday.

Alvin Desta, one of the rescued passengers, in an interview aired over DZMM confirmed that the captain ordered everyone on board to abandon ship after it tilted around 45 degrees.

"Lahat kaming natutulog ay ginising nung crew at binigyan kami ng tigi-tigiisang mga life jacket. Yung mga lifeboats inaayos na rin," he said.

The ferry had already tilted 50 degrees as of 6:30 a.m., according to Tamayo.

The Coast Guard chief said several fishermen assisted in the rescue operations while former Zamboanga Rep. Romeo Jalosjos was reported to have sent other fishing boats to help.

Zamboanga del Norte Gov. Rolando Yebes said the vessel sank at 9:10 a.m. at the coastal waters of Barangay Panabutan between the municipalities of Sirawai and Sibuco in the province.

The rescue operations were also backed up by helicopters from the 3rd Air Division of the Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City.

Yebes said an old woman and a child reportedly died during the commotion shortly before the ship capsized. The governor said many of those rescued by fishermen and Bantay Dagat operatives were brought to Sirawai and Sibuco towns pending their transfer to Zamboanga City.