Friday, November 16, 2007 Owner, boat captain lose license
THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has suspended the safety certificate of motorized banca FB Ave Maria 5 and the license of ship captain Riel Florentino pending investigation on the sea mishap last Tuesday that killed three people.
Marina 7 safety specialist Mardon Martin said the suspension of the certificate and the license is to prevent the owner and the captain to operate the vessel while it is not yet determined who was responsible for the tragedy.
Vessel owner and Poro, Camotes Municipal Councilor Riza Borlosa and Florentino were summoned by Marina 7 to appear on Monday for the start of the formal investigation.
Martin told Sun.Star Cebu that they received the marine protest from Florentino only yesterday.
He said a marine protest is a sworn statement of the ship captain detailing what happened and why the motorized banca sank near Danao City.
“We will start our investigation from there (marine protest)”, Martin said.
Florentino told Sun.Star Cebu in a telephone interview that it was the first time he met a sea mishap in his 10 years as vessel master.
“It was really an accident,” Florentino said. He said he will show up the investigation on Monday.
Convene
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Visayas Command under Commodore Edmund Tan will also convene the Board of Marine Inquiry to look into the incident, Martin said.
He said the vessel was already retrieved and has been anchored at Caubian Island, part of Lapu-Lapu City. It only had a crack and can sail again once repaired.
According to Martin, the three fatalities, spouses Magdaleno and Victoria Marañan and Catalina Vitob, were insured at P200,000 each. This will be received by their families.
“Unlike in the land transportation where passengers are only insured at P50,000 each, the coverage for vessel passengers is higher as required by Marina. So, the families of three victims who died will received insurance benefits of P600,000,” Martin said.
Capitol aid
Meanwhile, radio dyLA reported that the Cebu Provincial Government will give financial assistance to the families in the amount of P5,000 per victim.
Marivic Garces, chief of the provincial social welfare and development office, told radio dyLA that they are now waiting for the copies of death certificates of the victims to complete the process and release the money.
The six passengers who survived and brought to the Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center will be given P500 each for food and fare back to Camotes, Garces said in a radio interview.
Abel Garciano, private secretary to Poro Mayor Edgar Rama also told dyLA radio that the Municipal Council will also pass a resolution on Monday giving P5,000 to each victim who died during the accident. (EOB)
