Senators seek inquiry on Laguna Lake boat tragedy

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Raffy Tulfo seeks the filing of charges against officials of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) for the death of 27 people who died in a motorboat accident at Laguna Lake last Thursday.

Tulfo filed Senate Resolution No. 705 seeking an inquiry into the Princess Aya accident to identify lapses in safety protocols or negligence of the PCG, the MARINA and other concerned individuals and agencies that may have led to the tragedy.

Sen. Grace Poe also filed a similar measure demanding an investigation into the sinking of the ferry boat Princess Aya at the Laguna Lake off Binangonan, Rizal.

Tulfo asserted that the PCG and MARINA officials should be held accountable for command responsibility and neglect of duty over the incident.

In most cases, Tulfo said crew members of a sunken vessel were punished and sent to jail.

Tulfo said that the July 27 tragedy would not have happened if the PCG and the MARINA, as government authorities responsible for overseeing and regulating maritime safety in the country, did their duties and responsibilities.

He pointed out that the illfated boat Princess Aya’s maximum capacity was only 30 passengers, but the PCG allowed it to sail with about 70 passengers on board without enough life vests on top of the bad weather conditions at the time.

Tulfo said the PCG officer or inspector assigned to check boats at the dock site before sailing failed to flag these issues.

Tulfo added that the MARINA also failed to determine the seaworthiness of Princess Aya before granting it with “Passenger Ship Certificate (PSSC)” which has been now because of the accident.

Tulfo also found out that Princess Aya’s outriggers were not capable of supporting more than 30 passengers.

He underscored the need for MARINA to properly inspect, along with a marine engineer, all boats being rented or use for public water transportation before issuing any permit to operate.

“The results of the investigation should be utilized to improve safety standards for marine vessels, addressing issues such as overloading,vessel stability, adherence to passenger capacity limits, emergency preparedness, and crew training,” the resolution stated.

Under the measure, Tulfo also proposed a review and enhancement of existing legislation and regulations concerning maritime safety, with a specific focus on addressing issues related to overloading, vessel stability, passenger capacity limits, emergency preparedness, and crew training.

1) address;

2) The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3) A statement of the relief desired.

Likewise, all other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file through e-mail at docket@erc.ph. and copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, their Opposition or Comment thereon at least five (5) calendar days prior to the initial virtual hearing. Rule 9 of the ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure shall govern. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following:

1) The name, mailing address, and e-mail address of such person;

2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

3) The grounds relied upon. All interested parties filing their Petition to Intervene, Opposition or Comment are required to submit the hard copies thereof through personal service, registered mail or ordinary mail/ private courier, within five (5) working days from the date that the same were electronically submitted, as reflected in the acknowledgment

Holistic approaches eyed to bolster PH resilience against calamities

IT is imperative to foster collaboration among stakeholders, employ innovative approaches, and invest in robust disaster risk governance systems to bolster the Philippines’ resilience against future calamities.

Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher Go has been pushing two bills seeking the creation of a Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) and the establishment of mandatory evacuation centers nationwide.

Experts forged this consensus during a recent webinar conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) dubbed “Act Now or Pay Later: Enhancing Disaster Risk Governance for a Resilient Philippines”.

Organized by the Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P) project of PIDS in support of National Disaster Resilience Month, the virtual event sought to promote awareness of disaster risk governance and explore strategies to strengthen the country’s resilience based on the findings and recommendations of studies by some of

SERP-P’s partner institutions. Dr. Marie Ela Atienza of the University of the Philippines (UP)-Center for Integrative and Development Studies and UPDepartment of Political Science presented her study on “Enhancing Disaster Risk Governance and Resilience: Lessons from Supertyphoon Yolanda”, which highlighted the importance of multi-level governance structures for disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) based on the country’s experience during the said disaster.

“The national government played a significant role in disaster response, and coordination with international agencies was generally good. However, tensions between the government and international nongovernment organizations and parallel efforts and duplicated aid were observed,” Atienza said. She also emphasized the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to disaster risk governance, with a focus on community involvement and empowerment, to enhance resilience and response capabilities. Macon Ramos-Araneta