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Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sulpicio ships grounded
CEBU CITY -- Officials of Sulpicio Lines Inc. will abide by a government order grounding all its ships following the sinking of mv Princess of the Stars last Saturday.
"We have not received the order but we will cooperate. I don't know the extent of the suspension order yet," Manuel Espina, Sulpicio Lines legal counsel, said Monday.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza announced the grounding of Sulpicio Lines pending investigation into the incident as well as ensure the seaworthiness of the company's other ships.
At the Senate, Senator Rodolfo Biazon filed a Senate resolution seeking inquiry into the sinking to prevent a repeat of the disaster.
"The delineation of functions, responsibilities and authorities among the Philippine Coast Guard, the Marina (Maritime Industry Authority) and the Philippine Ports relative to who should give the clearance for the ship to sail should be reviewed and clarified," he said.
Related stories:
About 800 still missing
700 missing in capsized ferry
A joint probe with the House of Representatives is possible as the holding of a similar probe is being planned by some congressmen.
The issue was also discussed in a video conference with President Arroyo, who was in a meeting with the Filipino community in Fresno, California, and the Cabinet-National Disaster Coordinating Council members who were in Malacañang.
Arroyo, reacting to the statement of Sulpicio Lines' Edward Go, insisted on her claim that mv Princess of the Stars should not have been allowed to sail.
Guidelines
She said based on the general policy guidelines prior to the departure of a vessel, the operator should study carefully the typhoon movements and ensure that the ship "will not be within the area directly affected by any of the typhoon signals 1, 2, 3 and/or 4 or within the danger sector until they reach their destination."
"Furthermore, no vessel shall sail except to take shelter if public storm signal warning is hoisted in the point of origin, the route, and the point of destination. So it's not true...that there are no prohibitions. There are," she added.
Here in Cebu, Espina blamed typhoon Frank's unpredictability as the cause of the sinking because the weather forecast was "safe" for the vessel to travel when it left Manila port Friday night.
He said the typhoon was headed towards northwest Luzon from Samar and Bicol, sparing the ship's chartered path.
However, Frank (international codename: Fengshen) reportedly diverted its course, this time heading towards Panay Island by early Saturday morning, eventually crossing path with the Cebu-bound ferry.
The 23,800-gross-ton ferry, considered the largest among Sulpicio Lines' fleet, was reportedly in good condition when it left for Cebu with 747 passengers, 31 of whom infants and 20 children, the Coast Guard (CG) said.
Manned by over 100 crewmen, the ship has a passenger capacity of 1,292.
Apology
Relatives of the passengers continued to swarm the Sulpicio Lines office at Pier 5, berating the shipping management for the loss of their loved ones.
Sulpicio Lines apologized to the families of the ship's passengers and crew and said that all fatalities are insured at P200,000 each.
To help ease the anguish of waiting for news of missing relatives after the sinking, the Cebu City Government has provided a help desk and information center and stress debriefing for family members.
It provided food, coffee, water, and other amenities at the Sulpicio Pier 5 terminal to at least bring what comfort it could give to the worried relatives, family members, and friends.
"We recognize the strain of waiting for whatever new on the missing passengers. That is why we're urging the people to stay home. But we cannot really stop them from opting to stay as close to the source of information as much as possible," said City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, City Council committee on transportation chairman.
Jakosalem said the City also provided portalets for use by the people who thronged the ship terminal starting Saturday.
City Councilor Gerardo Carillo, City action officer, said that while the people number just over 50 Sunday night, there were over 500 of them already as of Monday afternoon.
He said social workers assisted aggrieved family members by helping them get hourly updates on the search and rescue efforts.
He said utility companies have also set up communication facilities so those present could contact for free relatives and other people for information.
Investigation
Mayor Tomas Osmeña called for a full blown investigation on the incident, saying it is highly questionable why it was allowed to sail at the height of a storm.
He also assured the families of the fatalities that the City Government will give a P5,000 financial aid for each victim if he or she is a resident of the city.
Additional aid will be given if the victim is the family breadwinner.
The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has created a Crisis Management Group that, in the meantime, will focus on the search and rescue operation, as well as facilitate the return of the survivors and fatalities to Cebu.
Marina administrator Vicente Suazo Jr. said that group is also tasked to coordinate with the Insurance Commission to fast track the release of benefits to the relatives of the fatalities from the insurers.
Under the new law, it is mandatory for the shipping company to insure passengers at P200,000 each.
In Lapu-Lapu City, Mayor Arturo Radaza, in an emergency meeting he called with department heads yesterday morning, ordered the city welfare office to find out if there were Oponganons who were aboard mv Princess of the Stars.
The city will give financial assistance to the survivors and to the relatives of those that have perished, but the amount was not announced.
Social Welfare Office Chief Emelita Digamo said names such as Oyao, Ybañez, Amorin and Sagarino that appeared in the passenger manifest are very common in Lapu-Lapu, but verifying their residency will take time.
Maritime laws
In Mandaue City, Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez, who visited Mayor Jonas Cortes yesterday, said he will ask the House Committee on Transportation to see if there is a need to revise our Maritime laws.
Golez discussed with Cortes possible ways for Mandaue and Parañaque to share their good practices, as both cities are export-oriented.
"It was a case of a ship trapped by the weather," said the former navy officer and graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.
But even if the weather is bad, he said, the question is whether the incident was avoidable or not, something that the Board of Marine Inquiry will have to answer.
Commander Antonio Cuasito, Coast Guard Central Eastern Visayas District chief of staff, said the first information they got from Sulpicio lines Port Captain Nestor Ponteres was that the ship was listing after its engine conked out Saturday at 1 p.m.
Cuasito clarified that the skipper's order to abandon ship at 4:45 p.m. was not officially confirmed when verified with the Coast Guard's main headquarters.
He said it was only a text message he received from one of the Coast Guard units in Manila, prompting him to verify this with the main office.
The BRP Batangas, a Coast Guard Cebu-based search and rescue (SAR) vessel, was dispatched at 8:59 p.m., he said.
The SAR ship reportedly arrived at 12:20 p.m. last Sunday, nearly 24 hours since the reported listing of the vessel was forwarded to Coast Guard Cebu.
Cuasito cited a report from Coast Guard Station in Romblon that the ill-fated ship was sighted about one nautical mile off Sitio Cabitangahan, Barangay Taclobo, San Fernando, Sibuyan Island. (Sunnex/GC/RHM/EOB/LCR/AIV/OCP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (June 24, 2008 issue)
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