Thursday, June 26, 2008 Espinoza: Wake-up call for Marina, Coast Guard By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
ON my way back to Cebu City from a court appointment in Danao City last Tuesday morning, I was shocked to see the highway along Barangay Jubay, Liloan littered with soil that spilt out of dump trucks.
The trucks were hauling soil for a land development in that place. The callousness of the dump truck drivers was sickening. The spillage was not only eyesores but also traffic and health hazards.
Are officials of Liloan and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) so busy with their other work they fail to oversee the state of our highways? Aside from soil spillage, considerable portions of the highway going to Danao are already dilapidated.
Wake up people!
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Lawyer Michael Dignos sent me a text message on Tuesday in reaction to my column last week about the invitation of the Mactan Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) for Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Boy Radaza to attend its forum.
Dignos, one of Radaza’s lawyers, said the mayor did not receive any invitation to MICCI’s Mactan Development Forum. Later in the evening, however, he sent me another text message saying that the mayor received the invitation in the afternoon but was required to pay P1,000 registration fee.
Lawyer Amay Ong Vaño confirmed the P1,000 per ticket setup. He said the June 26 forum at the Waterfront Hotel-Mactan is a whole day activity and includes lunch and snacks.
Forum organizers have invited DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Lilia Delima and Tourism Secretary Ace Durano as resource speakers.
Ong Vaño said the forum, as its theme suggests, is aimed at looking for ways to improve the island city, it being the gateway to Cebu. First on the list of concerns are the bad roads in and around the city.
The forum is well intentioned, so Mayor Radaza or his representative should participate. This concerns the city’s development and the invited resource speakers are cabinet secretaries, no less.
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Tragedy struck again at Sulpicio Lines Inc. This is not the right time to blame anyone, though. Not even typhoon Frank could be blamed for the sinking of mv Princess of the Stars. Some 800 passengers are still missing and 20 have been confirmed dead as of Tuesday.
But someone should answer for the incident. What is not funny though is that the responsible government offices are evading blame for allowing the ship to leave the port even when signal no. 1 was already hoisted in Metro Manila.
Worse, the Princess of the Stars captain, like in the sinking of mv Princess of the Orient in 1998, is missing. His testimony is very crucial to the inquiry.
The shipping company should expect cases filed against it once all the passengers have been accounted for. Unfortunately, with the boat captain missing, no one can be held accountable for the tragedy.
Our honorable gentlemen in Congress are planning to conduct an inquiry. Inquiries on similar accidents have been done before but it seems the issue of sea safety still leaves much to be desired.
Councilor Edgardo Labella, one of the survivors of the Princess of the Orient sinking, said Congress has crafted measures on maritime concerns but “nothing has been done to improve maritime safety.”
The problem with some government agencies is that they are reactive and not proactive. I wish this latest sea tragedy will serve as a wake up call for Marina and the Philippine Coast Guard.
