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By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
THE Board of Marine Inquiry has been directed to
speed up its probe on the tragic capsizing of an inter-island
passenger vessel at the height of Typhoon Frank on June 21.
“We were just asked on how long it could take
and if we can expedite our inquiry. We hope we could finish our
probe in 15 to 20 days and submit a report,” said Coast Guard
deputy commandant, Rear Admiral Ramon Liwag, who heads the inquiry
board.
Coast guard sources said Transportation and
Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza has asked the board to
complete their fact-finding mission as soon as possible.
To speed up the investigation, the chairman of
the inquiry board said that they would conduct a marathon session
and will summon in next hearing the three surviving crewmembers of
the ill-fated ship.
“Once they [crewmembers] are rested, we will
summon them in the next hearing,” Liwag said as he gave assurances
that the board’s inquiry would be impartial, with the aim of
establishing the facts.
During Friday’s hearing, officials of the
Sulpicio Lines Inc. testified that there was regular communication
with the vessel, and that the ship master complained of inaccurate
weather report from the local weather bureau.
Sulpicio, the largest inter-island shipping
company in the country, owns and operates the MV Princess of the
Star, that capsized off the waters of Sibuyan Island in Romblon at
the height of Typhoon Frank.
Squabble over pesticide issue
Meanwhile, an official from Greenpeace
Philippines on Saturday exhorted those who were directly affected by
the hazardous pesticide, endosulfan, to file charges against its
owner, Del Monte Philippines Inc.
Salvage experts hope to recover all the
pesticide shipment from the ill-fated vessel by Wednesday at the
latest.
The ill-fated ship was carrying 10 metric tons
of endosulfan.
The discovery of the hazardous chemical has
forced divers from the coast guard, navy and volunteers to
temporarily abandon search and recovery operations on the capsized
vessel.
Greenpeace-Southeast Asia Toxic Campaign Manager
Beau Baconuis said Del Monte can be held accountable for its
negligence in the handling and transport of the highly toxic
chemical that is fatal to humans.
“The cargo needs special handling and not just
ordinary handling. There should be a special packing for it,”
Baconguis said.
Sulpicio Lines Spokesperson, Lawyer Vicvic
Florido, said the incident involving the pesticide could have been
avoided were it not for the practice of some parties shipping cargo
to cut down on freight charges.
The spokesperson said freight charges are
relatively higher for dangerous cargo and that the endosulfan
shipment was never declared as toxic or a marine pollutant by Del
Monte.
Sulpicio also claimed that the Bill of Lading of
the shipment did not indicate that it was toxic.
The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority said that
Sulpicio only informed Del Monte in writing last June 25 that the
pesticide shipment was switched to the Princess of the Stars. It was
supposed to be loaded aboard the MV Princess of Paradise, also owned
by Sulpicio.
According to the ABS-CBN news website, Sulpicio
claims the Bureau of Customs cleared the shipment, which is the
reason why the inter-island firm did not bother to check it.
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