Boat skipper in lake mishap has no license

By Vince Lopez

THE captain of the ill-starred motorized banca Aya Express, does not have a valid Boat Captain 1 license, according to the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

Meanwhile, the MARINA) suspended the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (PSSC) of M/B Aya Express after the incident on Sunday off Barangay Kalinawan, Binangonan, Rizal which claimed 27 lives.

“Investigations revealed that the boat captain involved in the tragedy did not possess a valid license, as per records maintained by Marina,” MARINA’s lead lawyer Sharon Aledo said in a statement.

“There will be administrative proceedings pursuant to MARINA’s rules and regulations,” she added.

The Aya Express capsized in Laguna de Bay amid Typhoon Egay on July 27. The boat, with a seating capacity of 42 but which had 70 passengers at the time, was en route to Talim Island when it started to tilt to one side and its outrigger snapped.

The incident in Binangonan, Rizal resulted in the deaths of 27 passengers. MARINA met with Talim Island Passenger Motorboat and Patron Association (TIPMOPA) representatives to discuss the duty of Aya Express’ insurance provider.

“As of this writing, there is no showing that the insurance providerhas accepted or assessed any claim or has settled reasonable claims. Officers of TIPMOPA are currently in negotiations with the insurer to secure the necessary assistance,” the MARINA said.

Single ticketing execution starts next month

STARTING next month, traffic enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and local government units in the National Capital Region (NCR) will implement the single ticketing system (STS).

MMDA chairman Romando Artes made the announcement following a meeting with members of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the agency’s governing and policy-making body composed of the 17 NCR mayors.

During the meeting, the MMDA turned over the 150 handheld ticketing device units to the local executives of Valenzuela, San Juan, Caloocan, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa.

The handheld gadgets will be used for the implementation of the STS. The devices could print citation tickets, validate and authenticate driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations, check if the driver has incurred demerit points or if his/ her license or the vehicle registration is suspended, canceled, or has an existing alarm, accept cashless payments of fines, among others.

“With the delivery of these servers, handheld ticketing devices, we will be able to roll out within this quarter, by September to all local government units in NCR,” Artes said.

The MMDA chief said full implementation of the program was delayed due to a delay in the delivery of the devices and that the pilot operation was subjected to some customization.

“We will provide more depending on the need and request of the LGUs,” he said. Joel E. Zurbano