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On the last hearing of the Board of Marine Inquiry into the MV
Princess of the Stars tragedy, a witness of the operator of the
ill-fated vessel, Sulpicio Lines Inc., said the captain of the
vessel might have committed an error which caused its capsizing.
The board terminated on Thursday its
fact-finding investigation of the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy.
On Thursday’s hearing, Sulpicio presented its
last witness, Capt. Edwin Itagle, an international master mariner,
who implied that the captain of the ill-fated vessel, Florencio
Marimon Sr., might have erred in deciding to push through with the
ship’s pre-plotted course despite of an incoming typhoon.
The board chairman, Rear Admiral Ramon Liwag,
with a stick and a map showing the ship’s pre-plotted course and
the path of Typhoon Frank, asked Itagle what would he do if faced
with a similar situation.
“In principle . . . no, I might return back to
Manila,” Itagle said. Marimon is among those listed missing from
the tragedy.
A Philippine Coast Guard official also testified
on Thursday that the ill-fated passenger vessel had not shown any
indication that it had hit something that would cause it to capsize.
“We have not seen any dent or damage from the
ship as a result of running aground. The ship’s propeller is still
intact,” said Commander Inocencio Rosario of the Philippine Coast
Guard.
Rosario is the team leader of the first group of
divers from the coast guard rescue vessel, BRP Pampanga, that
surveyed the ill-fated ship a day after it capsized.
Liwag said they decided to adjourn the hearing
on the sea tragedy after gathering enough facts from the testimonies
of witnesses and documents submitted.
“We have gathered enough testimonies,
documents and resource persons that will help us shed light over the
capsizing of the Princess of the Stars,” Liwag said, before
banging the gavel, indicating that the probe has ended.
The board, which was given a 15-day deadline
that ended on July 16, completed its task in 13 hearings where 28
witnesses and resource persons were interviewed.
When ask if enough testimonies have been
gathered since some survivors that are in Cebu have not been
questioned yet, Liwag said. “We have interviewed enough
survivors.”
The board chairman said they will deliberate and
study all the facts that have been gathered before coming up with a
result and recommendation at the earliest time possible, which would
be this coming Monday afternoon.
Liwag said that once the report is completed, it
will be submitted immediately to the coast guard commandant,
Vice-Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, who will turn it over to
Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza.
At Congress, the management of Sulpicio vowed to
exercise social, moral and humanitarian responsibility in retrieving
the toxic cargo from its capsized vessel off Sibuyan Islands, even
they will spend more than the price of the vessel.
During the hearing of the House of
Representatives on the sea tragedy, Sulpicio Senior Vice President
Edgar Go was grilled by members of the House Committee on
Transportation chaired by Rep. Monico Puentebella of Bacolod City.
“Our company is a social company committed to
exercise humanitarian responsibility,” Go told the committee,
which had a complete attendance despite Congress being on recess.
He said that the shipping firm had appointed
international salvage company Titan Salvage “to undertake the
delicate task of retrieving the toxic cargo onboard the vessel.”
Go pointed out this will take about 40 days and
will cost some P350 million, the same price of the sunken vessel.
Victoria Florido, Sulpicio spokesperson, said
the company is also focusing its efforts on three main concerns: the
extraction of toxic cargo; support for victims’ families; and
livelihood assistance to affected families in Sibuyan.
The ship was carrying 10 tons of endosulfan, a
pesticide, when it capsized with more than 800 passengers and
crewmen onboard.
-- Anthony Vargas with Sammy Martin
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