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Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Arroyo wants ferry probe results in 15 days
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday ordered the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to submit within 15 days the results of their investigation into the sinking of the mv Princess of the Stars.
"We have demanded the full accounting of the ferry accident. The Coast Guard is asking for 15 days to submit their findings," she said.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
PCG commandant Wilfredo Tamayo said they would try to comply with the President's directive.
MV Princess of the Stars, owned by Sulpicio Lines, sank off Sibuyan island in Romblon province last June 21 at the height of Typhoon Frank (international codename: Fengshen).
More than 800 passengers and crew were onboard the said ferry when it capsized. Hundreds are still missing but rescue and retrieval operations where suspended after authorities discovered toxic chemicals inside the cargo hold.
Initial investigation disclosed that the ill-fated vessel tried to proceed to Cebu despite the storm signal warnings and the decision of other vessels to already take shelter.
A letter from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Batangas reported that at 12:38 a.m. of June 21, a "southbound vessel without automatic identification system" and believed to be mv Princess of the Stars, passed by Maricaban Island at a speed of 19.1 knots.
Based on the same report, a SuperFerry 19, traveling almost at the same time that the mv Princess of the Stars sailed, opted to dock at Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro Province and wait out the storm.
"These are all suspicions, that they were very confident that since it is a big ship, it can weather the storm. As I said, I am only quoting from the report. I am not saying it is definite. It says here, the said vessel is suspected to be mv Princess of the Stars, because it is just about that very time when the monitor was done by PPA in Batangas," said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita Ermita.
He added that he is not making the report public to clear anybody, particularly the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) in light of the legal charges filed by Sulpicio Lines against the agency for allegedly giving inaccurate weather reports.
"I would not want to say that anybody is cleared. I am just telling you the factual report given by Pag-asa," he said.
President Arroyo conducted an aerial inspection of the capsized vessel in Romblon on her way to Kalibo in Aklan Province for a medical mission.
She landed at Sibuyan Island and attended a memorial mass for the victims and spent several minutes listening to the "concerns" of local officials in the areas.
Takeover
A possible takeover of the shipping firm was openly discussed in the Cabinet meeting held in Iloilo City Tuesday, according to Ermita.
"It (takeover of Sulpicio) was being mulled over to find out if it is advisable to do that," he said.
The President however stressed that a takeover is not feasible.
Ermita also noted that they were reminded of a Supreme Court (SC) ruling stating that "only Congress can authorize the takeover of private properties" and it could only be done when a state of emergency had been declared.
The idea of a possible takeover came following concerns over stranded cargoes at Manila and Cebu ports that included food items, construction materials, other basic commodities, and prolonged grounding of the Sulpicio fleet.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) grounded all vessels of Sulpicio Lines last week after the sinking of MV Princess of the Stars.
Ermita said Sulpicio is handling about 40 percent of the transporting and deliveries of cargoes and other commodities. "If that is not resumed then there is high probability that it will adversely affect cargo carrying from Manila to Cebu, and other places where Sulpicio ships normally travel," he said.
Arroyo has tasked Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza to meet with officials of Sulpicio Lines to come up with an arrangement for the resumption of the cargo handling operation of the shipping firm.
Asked what kind of arrangements is being worked out by the government with Sulpicio, Ermita said it would be a "way by which government will be very much supervising the shipping fleet of Sulpicio Lines that carry cargo for the moment."
He said the proposed marshal would not be limited to the Sulpicio Lines fleet but also to be deployed to other vessels after an audit team of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) inspects and audits "all shipping lines so they can prevent untoward incidents."
Interpol assistance
The Philippine National Police (PNP) meanwhile welcomed the assistance offered by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to assist local authorities in identifying remains of the ferry tragedy victims.
"We welcome the Interpol and its member-countries' police services and disaster victim identification (DVI) experts' swift offer of assistance and arrival here to assess our needs," said PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr.
Razon told Interpol secretary-general Ronald Noble that the assistance of the foreign experts will hasten the process of retrieving and identifying the bodies of the victims.
"I would like the Interpol to use state-of-the-art DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) analysis so that the families who are suffering can be re-united with their loved ones soon. And so that the identification process can occur in the most dignified and effective manner possible," Razon told Noble upon arrival of the Interpol delegation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Monday night.
The Interpol delegation is composed of forensic examiners and technical experts on DVI who will assist PNP and Coast Guard authorities in the retrieval operations.
PNP divers and Crime Laboratory examiners are involved in search and recovery operations at the site. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (July 2, 2008 issue)
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100 bodies of ferry victims arrive in Cebu