Congress Outlines Probe on Ferry Disaster 6/29/08 12:12 PM

GMANews.TV Congress outlines probe on ferry disaster 6/29/08 12:12 PM

Congress outlines probe on ferry disaster

Article posted June 30, 2008 - 01:44 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Congressional inquiries have been set surrounding a sunken passenger vessel and related issues.

The House of Representatives will conduct an inquiry on maritime policies, Speaker Prospero C. Nograles said Sunday.

"While negligence, greed for profit and incompetence are among the major factors that contribute to the country’s poor maritime safety record, part of the problem might also be on our exiting maritime laws," he said.

Mr. Nograles said he directed Bacolod City Rep. Monico O. Puentevella, chairman of the committee on transportation to conduct special hearings while Congress is adjourned.

Mr. Puentevella earlier announced the inquiry would start on July 7 with officials of the Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime Industry Authority, Department of Transportation and Communications and Sulpicio Lines, Inc.

Mr. Nograles, meanwhile, said they would look into the possible consolidation of policies and laws on maritime transport and port operations, including licensure and training of maritime captains and personnel as well as government maritime officials and personnel.

He added the law should state that no maritime vessel will be allowed to travel even at the slightest hint of a brewing storm, and that the Philippine Coast Guard should be more judicious in giving voyage clearances.

Mr. Nograles said Congress should also look into an incentives policy for the maritime industry to promote investments for fleet expansion and modernization. He noted that the relative age of the merchant fleet is at least 20 years.

According to the Philippine Interisland Shipping Association, domestic shipowners are subjected to comparatively higher operating costs relative to their counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In terms of fuel cost, domestic ships spend higher on locally supplied fuel compared to ships operating within Asia, except for Japan.

Based on Philippine Coast Guard records, a total of 1,825 maritime accidents occurred between 1990 and 1999, with an average of 182 reported cases per year.

Considered as the world’s worst peacetime marine disaster was the sinking of M/V Doña Paz after it collided with oil tanker M/T Vector in Tablas Strait, between the islands of Mindoro and Tablas, on Dec. 20, 1987, killing about 4,340 passengers.

Eight months later, on Oct. 24, 1988 another ferry, M/V Doña Marilyn, sunk off Leyte during a typhoon, killing some 250 passengers on board. Both said ships were also owned and operated by Sulpicio Lines.

Hazardous chemicals

Meanwhile, the Senate will look into issues related to the transport of hazardous chemicals at sea, Senator Pilar Juliana "Pia" S. Cayetano, chairman of the environment and natural resources committee, said during a visit in Cagayan de Oro City on Friday.

Republic Act 6969, which was passed by Congress on Oct. 6, 1990, bans and regulates transport and use of toxic

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and hazardous substances.

The pesticide endosulfan on board the capsized M/V Princess of the Stars was supposed to be shipped to Cagayan de Oro for the use of Del Monte Philippines, Inc., in its banana plantations in Bukidnon.

"We would like to seek for more information on this and explain to us what’s going on and we can see if we can make amendments on regulating transport of pesticides," said Ms. Cayetano.

BusinessWorld sought a comment from Del Monte’s Bugo’s cannery office in Cagayan de Oro at the weekend but officials said they have yet to issue a formal statement.

"I can see disaster if the authorities cannot contain this immediately," Dr. Romeo Quijano, a toxicology professor at the University of the Philippines-Manila and head of the Pesticide Action Network-Philippines, said in a statement.

Mr. Quijano said endosulfan was behind the poisoning of residents in Kerala, India; India banned the chemical in 2002. He added that the pesticide is also banned in many countries such as Norway, Netherlands, Belize, and Sri Lanka and not registered for use in Germany and Denmark.

Sonia Calleja, Northern Mindanao director of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), said they allowed the pesticide to be used only for pineapple processing companies, namely, Del Monte Philippines and Dole Philippines.

"The pesticide is used for the pineapple’s pink disease," said Ms. Calleja in a telephone interview on Saturday.

She said FPA and Del Monte monitored the importation of pesticide from Israel.

"Documents will show that Del Monte has acquired permits on the shipment of endosulfan from Israel to Manila and to Manila to this city," said Ms. Calleja, adding it was supposed to be shipped by a cargo vessel.

In a related development, the presence of a toxic chemical shipment will not likely equate to a disaster, which will harm marine life and affect divers in the retrieval operations, a government chemist said Sunday.

Dr. Dario Sabularse, FPA deputy executive director, said endosulfan has not caused a chemical disaster since the substance is yet in a ready-to-mix form.

"The endosulfan in the ship’s cargo vessel is in solid flake form. Plantations, which use the chemical as pesticide, need to first dissolve it with a solvent... This is the working solution intended for the purpose of killing mites," he told BusinessWorld in a telephone interview.

Also, Mr. Sabularse said that the endosulfan is not exposed to an environment where it can be easily saturated, for "ocean waters are freely moving..." — Bernard U. Allauigan, Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez and Geefe P. Alba, BusinessWorld

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