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The growing frustration of the families of the passengers in the MV
Princess of the Stars reflects the long-running problems of our
domestic shipping industry. The ship went down near Romblon when
Typhoon Frank hit the country last weekend.
While we were taught in elementary school that
the Philippines is made up of 7,100 islands, going to these islands
is difficult and expensive for most. Even within the three main
island groupings, inter-island commuting carries the stigma from the
sea tragedies in the past.
There are short-haul inter-island ferries that
carry commuters and goods between small islands and small passenger
boats to fill in the rest. Yet the major sealanes are controlled by
a few big operators. The three major ferry operators controlling the
services from Davao, Mindanao and Cebu, have merged over the last
decade. A commuter from Manila to the major ports in the Visayas and
Mindanao would have to contend with the rates and services of these
companies.
The tragedy in Romblon highlights three things.
First, even with the so-called “Strong Republic National
Highway” program of the government prioritizing the development of
roll-on/roll-off facilities and vessels, reliable and affordable sea
transportation for commuter and goods has yet to be achieved
throughout the archipelago.
Second, there exist multiple overlapping bodies
under the Department of Transportation and Communication that handle
shipping and domestic sea travel. Ports are the responsibility of
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) while the regulation of the
shipping sector is the responsibility of the Maritime Industry
Authority (Marina). Policy for safety and ship registration is with
the PPA although enforcement and implementation is done by the
Philippine Coast Guard. Dissemination of weather information, ship
monitoring and even rapid rescue and coordination still needs to be
addressed by these agencies.
Overlapping functions with regard to domestic
sea transport make it hard to pinpoint responsibility in the wake of
disasters such as the Princess of the Stars tragedy. This situation
is further compounded by the deregulation and liberalization of the
shipping industry.
Third, a vibrant shipping industry is ultimately
dependent on a strong domestic economy. Raw agricultural products
and commuters are the main cargo of vessels within the country. Only
a small number of container vessels that carry the Philippines flag
are involved in overseas trade. Most of our national
fleet—container vessels, tankers and general cargo—are small in
tonnage. Most are more than 25 years of age due to a low rate of
retirement and replacement of vessels. It is only with the bulk
fleet that there are new acquisitions in the past few years.
There is a lack of major shipbuilding facilities
that can turn out new vessels. Machinery, ship parts and new vessels
are mostly imported. Even financing ship acquisition is a problem by
the domestic shipping industry. With the trend to liberalize further
the shipping industry, the backbone of our domestic travel will be
out of our hands and tied with the interests of foreign investors.
Public utilities are services and infrastructure
that are used by the people to facilitate their daily activities and
enhance economic production. Among these are electric power, water
services, fuel, telecommunications and transportation. In mass
transport, the infrastructure and means that enable goods and people
to be conveyed from one place to another in an affordable and timely
manner is a public utility. These include road networks, land, air
and sea transport and traffic control.
All of these utilities should be accessible and
affordable to the people since limiting access to these services
would make, in general, daily activities more difficult. Since these
utilities facilitate the growth of the domestic economy and support
the people’s daily activities, it is a must for an honest
government to be the one to build and manage these infrastructures.
In a discussion with Capt. Danilo “Ka Dan”
Vizmanos, a retired Navy captain who fought against martial law, he
noted that as an archipelagic country, we should invest heavily as a
country in building our shipping industry. The Navy captain turned
militant activist, writer and social critic passed away last Monday.
Yet his aspirations still ring true: we need to
upgrade our shipyards to be able to engage not just in ship repair
but even in engine and machine parts production. Our sea traffic
monitoring, weather and rescue services should be strengthened. Our
capacity to patrol our seas and defend our national patrimony should
be increased, instead of allowing foreigners to plunder our
resources.
To make ourselves truly seaworthy, we need to
build a strong domestic shipping industry that supports domestic
trade and ensures access, reliability and affordability for the
people.
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Dr. Tapang is the chairperson of AGHAM, a
progressive scientists organization founded in 1999.
opinion@manilatimes.net
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