As an archipelago consisting of over seven thousand islands, the Philippines is expected to hold high regard for the security and well-being of its citizens who traverse its waterways, may it be in the seas, rivers, or lakes. Laguna de Bay, the country’s largest freshwater inland lake, should be treated no differently. In the middle of the lake is Talim Island, which is part of Binangonan, Rizal. With over 40,000 inhabitants, the only method of getting to the island is via motorboat.
Last 27 July, the worst tragedy struck one of the boats plying this route, claiming 27 innocent lives. Since then, a lot of finger-pointing has taken place between government offices and local officials. It is a question of who is ultimately liable — the Philippine Coast Guard or PCG, the Maritime Industry Authority or Marina, the local boat operators association Talim Island Passenger Motorboat and Patrons Association, or the boat owners and the boat captain. At the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services held last 8 August, it appeared that all of them were at fault.
Chaired by Senator Grace Poe, the committee brought together all the stakeholders in this disaster, including the victim-survivors and the families of the deceased. In her opening statement, Senator Poe immediately pointed out the alleged violations, from the reported lack of a license of the boat captain to the absence of safety measures such as the completion of a passenger manifest and the mandatory wearing of life vests. Senator Poe was diplomatic in allowing the PCG and Marina to make their respective presentations, and for the Binangonan mayor and the passenger survivors to share their accounts.
Senator Raffy Tulfo, who filed his own Senate resolution to investigate this matter, was sharp in questioning the PCG and Marina. Since the boat captain was already in the orange uniform of a detainee, Senator Tulfo asked why the liable officers of PCG and Marina were not in jail as well.
The PCG was gracious enough to admit its shortcomings and negligence, and it was commended for that. The PCG’s performance in saving the lives of those involved in the Romblon boat sinking incident, which happened shortly after the one in Binangonan, was likewise recognized.
As for Marina, the officers testified on the presence of laws and regulations that require boats and ships to maintain certain specifications to ensure their safety, but these were not being implemented. It became evident that boat measurements and materials were not being followed, and applicants for permits were allowed to cut corners by “bribing” officials with what is known as “pangiti.” The boat captain himself testified under oath that he gave the PCG officer bananas worth P100 and an additional P50 in cash to fast-track the issuance of his safety permits.
All this boils down to a flawed system where we have the required laws and regulations to safely keep our waterways, but we lack the budget, manpower, and infrastructure to implement them. At the Binangonan port, for instance, there is no presence of authorities, such as the PCG, since there is no outpost in sight. I went to this port last weekend to inspect it and meet with the locals since my company was the insurer of the passengers’ personal accident policy of the subject boat. Despite the violations of the policy, our company, Milestone Guaranty and Assurance Corp., disbursed financial assistance to the victims of this tragedy, for humanitarian considerations.
There is a need to strengthen the PCG and Marina to allow them to fulfill their mandates. We hope these would be highlighted in upcoming budget hearings to avoid more deaths on our shores.
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