The Philippine Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao has relieved the commander of the Coast Guard Santa Ana Substation and seven others following the disappearance of the MBCA Amejara, a recreational motor banca with 16 people on board, off the waters of Davao Occidental province. The relieved personnel will be reassigned to the district headquarters while an investigation is ongoing. The search and rescue operations, now on its fourth day, continue with the Police Regional Office-Davao reaffirming its full support and coordination with the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, Coast Guard, and local disaster response agencies. The Philippine Coast Guard has deployed its Britten-Norman Islander aircraft to take part in the search and rescue operations, while the Philippine Air Force has deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle to assist in the mission. The coverage of the SAR mission has now shifted towards the international waters, more particularly along the borders of Indonesia, with the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao coordinating with their Indonesian counterparts in the ongoing SAR operations.
