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Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said Monday that he would support any move to
cancel the franchise of Sulpicio Lines, the owner of the ill-fated
MV Princess of the Stars.
“Its franchise should have been cancelled a
long time ago,” he said. “A spate of four or five accidents is
unforgivable,” he said.
Enrile is chairman of the Senate Committee on
Public Services which approves applications for new franchises and
the cancellation of existing ones.
“All franchise bills are supposed to emanate
from the House, but once the House transmits an approved bill to the
Senate, it will go to my committee and I will recommend its passage
immediately,” he said.
Sulpicio Lines is under fire for allowing its
vessel to sail despite warnings on Typhoon Frank. Retrieval
operations for victims trapped inside the Princess of the Stars were
halted after it was found out that the vessel contained 10 tons of
endosulfan, a highly toxic pesticide.
The loading of toxic chemicals in passenger
lines is prohibited and Sulpicio Lines did not report the loading of
endosulfan to the Philippine Ports Authority.
Earlier, Sen. Pia Cayetano said the Fertilizer
and Pesticides Authority should explain why it has allowed the entry
into the Philippines of endosulfan, which she described as being in
the list of “Dirty Dozen” toxic chemicals that is banned in
various countries.
Meanwhile, Sen. Loren Legarda called for
stricter rules on the transporting of toxic chemicals.
“Vessels transporting harmful chemicals,
including oil products, should at least be double-hulled in keeping
with international maritime standards,” she said.
She pointed out that harmful chemicals could
easily leak and kill more people if they are transported on board
passenger planes and ships
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-- Efren L. Danao
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