SULPICIO:  IT  WAS  CAPTAIN'S  CALL  TO  CANCEL  VOYAGE  OR  NOT

MANILA, JUNE 26, 2008 (STAR) By Evelyn Macairan - A ranking official of Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) yesterday said that it was the call of the captain of the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars whether to push through with the voyage or cancel the trip.

Engineer Edgar Go, SLI senior vice president, yesterday informed the seven-member Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) that ship captain Florencio Marimon Sr. had the sole prerogative to continue with the voyage or not.

Marimon is still missing as of press time.

The BMI was composed of BMI chairman Rear Admiral Ramon Liwag, vice chairman Rear Admiral Benjamin Mata from the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, and members from the PCGA Commodore Amado Ronillo, master mariner Captain Simeon Balita; engineer Bonifacio Balintic and Diosdado Ramos; and lawyer and Commander Ramon Reblora.

Aside from Go and his lawyer Arthur Lim, the BMI also issued a subpoena for Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Director Robert

Arceo and PCG Commander Erwin Balagas, who is the station commander of North Harbor, but they failed to appear.

PCG commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo had earlier relieved Balagas.

During the two-hour preliminary investigation, Go repeatedly replied that their port officials would thoroughly discuss the matter with the ship’s master or captain before allowing the ship to sail.

He said they only relay “verbal” instructions to their ship’s master if the 23,000-ton vessel could set out to sea.

“We have told the captain to take precaution and if needed, to take the ship to shelter. The master has the overriding authority.”

He reiterated that when the ship left North Harbor at 8 p.m. of June 20, the typhoon signal was only no. 1 and he described the weather was “light” going to Cebu.

However, at 6 a.m. the next day, they reportedly received an advisory that the sea condition shifted from “moderate” to “rough.”

Their last communication with the ship was around 11:30 a.m. of June 21. The ship reportedly contacted their port captain in Cebu and said “the ship was listing heavily on the port side and (they) could hardly maneuver the ship.”

Go could not confirm reports that the ship encountered engine trouble because communication was cut off. He did, however, blame the bad weather for causing the passenger ship to capsize off Sibuyan Island in Romblon province. It also reportedly lost power.

The ship was carrying 111 crew members, 26 sanitary aides, 724 passengers or a total of 861 people.

He said the captain and chief engineer were made aware of the presence of typhoon “Frank.”

Liwag asked SLI to present the chart used for plotting the course. He explained that while it would be difficult to predict the direction of the typhoon, they could track its course.

The BMI added that the ship would have to provide 30 degrees leeway for error, or 15 degrees on the left and another 15 degrees on the right.

The shipping lines owner also admitted that apart from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services

Administration (Pagasa), they would sometimes rely on the Internet for weather condition updates.

As a result, Liwag ordered SLI to submit the weather reports 48 hours before and after the Princess of the Stars departed. “This will be material in the conduct of the investigation,” he said.

SLI said that the last bulletin they received before the vessel left port on Friday was at 4:45 p.m. The BMI pointed out that signal no. 1 was at the time hoisted over Metro Manila, signal no. 2 in Romblon and signal no. 3 in Masbate. The board said the Princess of the Stars, if it would follow its course, would pass near all these provinces to reach its destination, Cebu.

The BMI had also asked SLI to send other pertinent records such as the radio logs.

Also summoned to appear in the next hearing scheduled on Friday were the engineer, port captain and radio operator in their office in Manila and Cebu. It might also call on Pagasa to appear in future hearings to shed light on the investigation.

Liwag said that while Go is the vice president and in charge of the operation, “there are other people who are hands on like the port captain and safety officer.”

Attorney Lim assured the board that they would comply with its requests.

The shipping firm’s lawyer added they are also formulating a plan to address the appeals of the families of the passengers to go to the site to look for their loved ones.

“This was an accident caused by fortuitous events. We have always tried our best to cope with the situation, keeping in mind the best interest of the families of the victims and the survivors and we would really would like to address all their concerns.”

He said the company is coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to comfort and assist the family members of the Princess of the Stars passengers and crew.

Revocation

However, SLI may have more problems coming than it can imagine.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the franchise granted by Congress for its operations should be revoked.

“Yes (their franchise should be revoked), considering that there have been four tragedies involving so many lives and the tragedies from the accidents that befell ships of Sulpicio lines. What can be done as of now is to immediately suspend the authority of the franchise given to Sulpicio Lines to continue serving our people as transportation company,” Pimentel said.

He said there are more reasons for Marina to revoke Sulpicio’s license.

In seeking for the revocation, Pimentel said, “there is evidence to show that their disasters have been more or less continuous involving so many lives.”

Congress may have given a 25-year franchise for SLI, Pimentel said, adding that the government must take decisive action on the issue.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, is also keen on reviewing the ship’s franchise. “What should be determined is whether the franchise holder is delivering the services it is mandated to... whether or not the franchise holder is capable of delivering services,” Biazon said.

Biazon wanted to know why the ship captain pursued with its route despite Pagasa’s advisory placing the storm at signal number 3.

Citing communications with Navy Flag Officer in Command Rear Admiral Rogelio Calunsag, Biazon noted that six other ships took shelter at the Batangas Port at the height of typhoon Frank last June 20.

The ships were identified as MV Solid Ace, General Ricarte, MV Solcon 12, MV Dona Senora de Fatima, Allison Con Carrier 9, and MV SF Star.

Three of the ships were en route to Cebu, while the remaining three were going to Davao, Zamboanga and Iligan.

In its footnote, the Navy information sheet forwarded to Biazon’s office showed that the Philippine Coast Guard disseminates all Pagasa 24-hour public weather forecast and tropical cyclone warning for shipping to its districts/stations/detachments in the form of radio messages for subsequent relay to all vessels within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

At the time signal number 3 was raised, Biazon noted the Princess of the Stars was still in the area of Cavite. “Why did they not seek shelter in Batangas or go back to Manila? That would be the expected judgment of a ship’s captain... why did the captain proceeded to continue with its voyage?” he asked.

Biazon has filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry into the tragedy.

He said he wanted to check if the cargos had lashings, especially on vehicles and container vans. Biazon surmised that the vehicles were not properly lashed, prompting the 23,000-ton ship to tilt to one side at the height of the typhoon’s wrath.

Biazon also wanted to determine if authorities were able to preserve the ship’s logbook, and question the ship captain, first officer and chief mate if they survived the mishap.

Noli lashes at SLI

Meanwhile, Vice President Noli de Castro urged SLI to immediately set up crisis centers in Manila and Cebu to speed up efforts in addressing the concerns of the family of the victims.

“They should release the passenger manifest of the ill-fated vessel and inform the family members of the latest reports on survivors. In the crisis centers, they should provide for psychologists to help ease the pain of family victims and not just ward them away like what their security guards are doing now,” De Castro said.

He said SLI should answer for the claims of the victims of the tragic incident and assist the kin of the victims in every manner possible and inform them of the procedure to claim compensation and damages.

He also called for the modernization of the shipping industry and the strict implementation of the safety practices as well as the maintenance of sea vessels.

“As long as we have old and dilapidated vessels we will always be prone to maritime accidents,” he said. – With Christina Mendez, Pia Lee- Brago, Jess Diaz

DSWD conducting stress debriefing for families

Thursday, June 26, 2008 The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is conducting stress debriefing for families of passengers who perished in the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars to help them cope with the trauma of losing a loved one.

In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said she has activated 24-hour social welfare inquiry desks for the families of the victims.

“Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) sessions are being conducted for the 35 family members of the victims to help them cope with their traumatic experience,” Cabral said. The inquiry desks are located at the Sulpicio Lines offices in Port Area, Manila and at the Reclamation Area in Cebu City.

In the Sulpicio Lines office in Manila, DSWD social workers have undertaken the master-listing of 336 families who claim to be relatives of the victims, Cabral said.

Cabral said CISD is a psychosocial intervention given to victims of traumatic incidents to lessen the impact of the trauma by expressing their emotions. – Helen Flores, Nestor Etolle

Sulpicio Lines must be held accountable for tragedy – GMA By Paolo Romero Thursday, June 26, 2008

WASHINGTON (via PLDT) – President Arroyo is holding Sulpicio Lines accountable for the M/V Princess of the Stars tragedy.

“We are holding the ferry company accountable to ensure that we find how this ferry tragedy could have occurred so we can take steps to make sure it never happens again,” she said.

However, Mrs. Arroyo told reporters during a luncheon with members of the Philippine delegation that she was not blaming anyone pending investigation into the accident.

“The investigation must reveal the facts so I will not assign any blame at this point,” she said. “But rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this tragedy and hold people accountable if that is what the findings reveal.”

Meanwhile, US President George W. Bush ordered the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to the Philippines to help in the rescue and retrieval operations.

The Ronald Reagan is expected to arrive in the country within the week.

Bush relayed to Mrs. Arroyo the deployment of the Ronald Reagan during their meeting at the White House on Tuesday.

“We are happy to do it. We want to help our friends in time of need,” he said.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said the Ronald Reagan’s crew will be working in close coordination with the Armed Forces and will take orders from the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

It is not carrying nuclear weapons, he added.

Speaking to some 200 officials and members of the US-ASEAN Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce at the Willard Hotel Tuesday night (Washington time), Mrs. Arroyo said she will do everything possible to aid in the cleanup, provide disaster relief and bring comfort to the families of the victims.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life from the typhoon and the ferry tragedy,” she said.

“I am also angry at what happened with the capsizing of the ferry and demand a thorough investigation to find out exactly what happened, why it happened and if it could have been avoided.”

Mrs. Arroyo hit back at her detractors who criticized her for pushing through with her 10-day trip to the US despite the threat of typhoon “Frank.”

“I have been accused of being a hands-on President, and rightly so,” she said.

“We have been coordinating disaster relief and aid from allies here in Washington and around the world. We have a very able government team directing response on the ground. We will be directing the response on the ground.”

Mrs. Arroyo said she will visit hard-hit areas, including Iloilo, when she returns home at the end of the week.

The US government was one of the first to offer assistance after Frank ravaged the country, she added.

Before meeting American business leaders, Mrs. Arroyo had talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the Marriott Vardman hotel in Woodly Park here.

Dung extended his condolences to Mrs. Arroyo, who in turn thanked him for assisting the Philippines to address its rice problem.

The Spanish government offered to help the country and she directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to immediately facilitate the matter, Mrs. Arroyo said.

N. Harbor station chief relieved Thursday, June 26, 2008

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) chief Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo yesterday ordered the relief of the station commander assigned to the North Harbor in Manila in connection with the ongoing investigation of the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI).

PCG spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said Commander Erwin Balagas was relieved because “he was the commanding officer at the North Harbor station when the ship M/V Princess of the Stars departed on the evening of June 20. This is standard operating procedure (SOP).”

Balagas’ relief is effective while the BMI investigation is going on. In fact, he was one of those summoned to appear before the BMI.

The three other members of the boarding team were also relieved.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, Balilo said their statistics were still pegged at 48 survivors and 85 dead, including the 18 dead bodies seen floating inside the vessel.

“It would take a miracle if there are still people alive inside the ship,” he said.

The PCG received information that the United States Navy, along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), retrieved 87 bodies in Burias Island in Camarines Sur.

A command center, in coordination with the local government unit, was also formed in Pasacao by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). Undersecretary for Maritime Affairs Elena Bautista has been tapped to lead the Task Force Princess of the Stars.

The owner of the ill-fated vessel, Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI), will shoulder the embalming and transportation of the cadavers to either Cebu or Manila.

Tamayo ordered the intensified search and rescue and retrieval operations. Ten more PCG divers would be added to the 30 already undertaking the operation. The US navy has contributed 10 divers.

They would also send out cadaver bags and medicine to the area.

Balilo said they would also dispatch doctors specializing in hyperbaric medicine as a precautionary measure. He explained it was necessary to send out a medical team with this expertise to help the divers who are forced to swim in deep waters.

Commander Silvia Lopez, PCG medical chief, said hyperbaric medicine deals with decompression illness. She said divers are prone to suffer this ailment because they often dive in deep waters. Dr. Alexis Calderon, who is an expert in the field, is already on site.

“They could suffer lower body paralysis if they rapidly ascend. The deeper the water, the more nitrogen, so it is better that they stay at the same level and slowly ascend,” said Lopez.

The PCG spokesman said that at the moment, they do not intend to drill a hole in the hull of the ship.

“The situation now is still delicate because it could cause an oil spill. As of now, we have not yet put the oil spill boom in place.” – Evelyn Macairan