Friday, June 27, 2008 Psychologists to calm ferry tragedy victims' kin
A GROUP of psychologists from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) were sent to Pier 12 at Manila North Harbor to assist relatives of the victims of ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars cope with the trauma caused by the ferry tragedy on Saturday.
Fr. Egay dela Cruz, head of the UST trauma clinic, said the hospital initially assigned at least six to seven psychologists to Romblon province Thursday to help the victims' relatives survive the tragic incident that killed hundreds of people.
He said they are willing to send additional psychologists when needed since they still have 13 more on standby.
According to him, the sending of psychologists to Romblon is their own initiative and in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Dr. Johnny Decatoria also of the UST trauma clinic said the psychologists are basically helping the relatives accept the fate of their departed loved ones.
He explained that the relatives are not only confronted with trauma but also stress especially they do not know if one of their loved ones is among those who were already found dead by the search and rescue teams.
Decatoria asked the Sulpicio Lines, Inc., owner of the MV Princess of the Stars, to assign a representative to Pier 12 who will give updates on the search and rescue operations.
Aside from UST, the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP) composed of priests and nuns in the country are also assigning nuns that will help in the counseling of the relatives of the victims.
"We already discussed that," said Sister Mary John Mananzan.
She said they are just finalizing the names of the nuns that would volunteer to do the counseling.
Prayer
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the Filipino community in Washington in a one-minute prayer for the victims of Saturday's sea mishap and of Typhoon Frank (international codename: Fengshen) in general.
Arroyo said there are about 400,000 families from 38 provinces have been affected by the typhoon.
The President during the event also thanked the Filipino community for raising funds to aid the victims, including a Filipino-American group that came up with P120,000 and the Filipino veterans that raised US$1,000.
She said these financial aids would go along way in providing potable water, medicines and relief goods to the victims.
She also assured the Filipino community that she continues to monitor the developments in the Philippines even if she is not physically there with the help of her Cabinet and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) whom she meets through a video conference almost daily since she left for the US last June 22.
The President is set to visit the typhoon victims in Iloilo, Capiz, and Aklan upon her return to Manila on June 30.
The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) meanwhile had formally sought help from the International Federation of the Red Cross for fear that the PNRC would fall short of resources as the search and rescue operations continue.
PNRC chairman and Senator Richard Gordon said they are now aiding close to 200,000 individuals from several evacuations centers where they provide relief goods, including potable water and water sanitation equipment particularly in the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, and Romblon.
Gordon said there is also much need for medicines for diarrhea, cough, colds, and children's ailments.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno also directed the local government units to attend to the needs of those affected by the typhoon and ensure that no traders would take advantage of the situation by jacking up the prices of goods.
Puno issued the order after Iloilo City Mayor Gerry Treñas reported that water refilling stations have started to raise their prices from P30 to P40 per gallon.
He warned erring traders that their permits would be cancelled if they found taking advantage of the typhoon victims.
Meanwhile, deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said the President was merely stating a fact when she held Sulpicio Lines accountable for the tragedy.
"For every responsibility, there's such a thing as the captain of the ship doctrine. Based on the doctrine, he who operates the ship is accountable for any action or effects of what might happen to a ship. The Sulpicio management is accountable for the effects or result of what happened. They're supposed to be as the owner of the ship," he said.
"The statement of President Arroyo does not necessarily prejudge the outcome of the investigation. The buck stops at the ship owner. At the outset, based on the captain of the ship doctrine (the owner) is accountable for the deaths but it is not for my free will to want that thing to happen," he added.
Golez, however, does not preempt or put an end to the investigation, which still aims to determine how the incident happened and if there are other people who maybe held responsible.
He said the President's statement simply implies that Sulpicio Lines should be responsible enough to ensure that the victims and their families are taken care of including the corresponding insurance being paid. (Sunnex)
