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THE probe on the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy hit a snag on
Tuesday after two members of Board of Marine Inquiry inhibited
themselves.
The board vice-chairman, Captain Benjamin Mata,
and panel member Commodore Amado Romillo inhibited themselves from
the hearing following accusations of partiality in conducting the
probe.
Rear Admiral Ramon Liwag, the board chairman,
ordered the immediate suspension of Tuesday’s hearings after the
two board members filed their motion to inhibit.
The board was set to questions representatives
of Del Monte Philippines Inc., and Bayer Philippines on the
allegedly toxic cargoes that were loaded onboard the ill-fated
vessel.
Sulpicio Lines Inc., which owns and operates the
Princess of the Stars, has accused Mata and Romillo of being bias
against them.
Sulpicio lawyer Arthur Lim actually sought the
inhibition of Mata and Romillo for allegedly “prejudging” his
client during the hearing of the sea tragedy at the House of the
Representatives on Monday.
Officials of the shipping line allege that Mata
already made a statement that Sulpicio is “guilty” during the
House hearing.
The vice-chairman quickly denied this allegation
and decided to inhibit himself from the hearings to preserve the
board’s integrity.
Romillo stated at one point that he can prove,
by using his common sense, those responsible for the sea tragedy
that claimed hundreds of lives.
Liwag, the board’s chairman, said the
inhibition by the two will not in anyway affect their probe.
President Gloria Arroyo late last month gave the board 15 days to
finish its probe.
“The investigation will continue and we will
just look for their replacements. There are a lot of competent
people around,” Liwag told reporters following the suspension of
the hearing.
Sulpicio Lines wants hearings stopped
The shipping firm on Monday sought a temporary
restraining order against the board’s hearings from a Manila
court, and $650,000 for moral damages.
Sulpicio argued that it is the Maritime Industry
Authority and not the Board of Marine Inquiry that has the
jurisdiction or authority to conduct investigations on ship owners
and operators.
However, Mata that even if the Manila court
issues a temporary restraining order against the board’s inquiry,
he would still conduct his own investigation to determine who really
is at fault for the sea tragedy.
Nograles wants the guilty punished
At the House of Representatives, Speaker
Prospero Nograles said that justice must be given to the victims of
the Princess of the Stars tragedy.
Nograles said that he noticed that after the sea
tragedy “those responsible for the tragedy are blaming everything
and everybody except themselves.”
Nograles also clarified that although while any
congressional probe should be in aid of legislation, “glaring
violations of our laws that may be unearthed during the process
should be endorsed to the proper courts for proper disposition.”
“The guilty should be penalized to the fullest
extent of the law to give meaning to the more than 800 lives
lost,” he said.
The House Committees on Transportation and
Oversight, headed respectively by Reps. Monico Puentevella and
Danilo Suarez, held its initial public hearing on the sea tragedy on
Monday.
At the hearing, Sulpicio Lines blamed the local
weather bureau for its allegedly late reports on Typhoon Frank,
while the Philippine Coast Guard put the blame on the shipping line.
-- Anthony Vargas, Francis Earl A. Cueto and Jomar Canlas
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