09/10/2026
HE WAS BRINGING HIS WIFE HOME. HE NEVER KNEW THE FIRE WOULD TAKE HER AGAIN.
The MV June Aster was supposed to be another ordinary journey from Manila to Coron, Palawan.
Instead, on the evening of September 9, the passenger ferry caught fire near Coron. Flames rapidly engulfed the vessel, sending passengers into a desperate fight for survival. Five people were reported dead, while dozens remained missing as rescuers continued searching the waters.
But somewhere inside this national tragedy is a story that is almost impossible to imagine.
According to the family account, Ben Indic had traveled from Manila with the remains of his wife, who had died while they were seeking medical treatment for her.
He was simply trying to bring her home.
His pregnant daughter was with him.
Then the ship caught fire.
In the panic, Ben tried to hold on to the coffin carrying the woman he had already lost once.
But the fire came too fast.
โHindi ko na nahila, nagulat din ako biglaan.โ
He survived.
But the coffin did not make it with him.
And in the chaos, he was separated from his pregnant daughter.
Think about that for a moment.
A husband who had already endured the pain of losing his wife was forced to watch helplessly as the sea and fire took away the last thing he had left of her.
He wasnโt trying to save cargo.
He wasnโt trying to save belongings.
He was trying to bring his wife home.
And now, while rescuers continue searching for those still missing, this grieving husband is left carrying another unbearable fear:
Where is my daughter?
Some people board a ship carrying luggage.
Some carry dreams.
And some, like Ben, carry the remains of the person they love, hoping only to give them one final homecoming.
He survived the fire.
But perhaps the hardest part of the journey
is the one that begins after surviving it. ๐
