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The National Disaster Coordinating Council over the weekend reported
that the death toll from the sunken MV Princess of the Stars
officially stood at 173.
The Princess was carrying more than 850
passengers and crew, and only 57 have survived. Officials believe
that most of the bodies are still inside the capsized ferry.
The disaster council reported that the latest
bodies recovered in Pasacao town in Masbate province on Friday
included three females.
Of the 173 retrieved bodies, 170 belonged to
adult passengers, two from children. One was of a crewmember of the
ship.
The survivors included 40 men and six women, and
at least five were crewmembers.
Rescue divers are expected to resume retrieving
bodies today. Operations were stopped Friday after officials learned
about the toxic pesticides that were aboard the Princess.
An environmental group, International Persistent
Organic Pollutants Elimination Project, has called for the creation
of a toxic crisis action committee to deal with any possible
chemical spill. The group made the plea after it was discovered the
sunken ferry was carrying some 10 metric tons of endosulfan.
“The government should compel Sulpicio Lines
into disclosing the full registry of cargoes in the sunken ship,
especially items which can potentially harm the public health and
the environment. The public has the right to know,” according to
statement from Manny Calonzo, co-coordinator for Southeast Asia of
the environmental group.
Endosulfan is a highly toxic pesticide that is
being considered by the United Nations POPs Review Committee as a
“candidate” POP.
Persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, refer to
a class of toxic chemical substances that can severely harm human
health, wildlife, and the environment. The class includes
pesticides, industrial chemicals and byproducts of certain chemical
and combustion processes. Once those chemicals enter the
environment, they tend to last a long time contaminating food
supply, finding their way into the human body, and contributing to
serious diseases and disorders.
The environmental group’s statement added that
data obtained from the Pesticide Action Network showed that the use
of endosulfan is banned or restricted in many countries, including
Bahrain, Belize, Cambodia, Columbia, Germany, India, Kuwait,
Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Saint
Lucia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Tonga, United Arab Emirates and
member countries of the European Union.
Endosulfan is severely restricted in Australia,
Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, Honduras,
Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Lithuania,
Norway, Panama, Philippines, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro,
Thailand, Taiwan, UK and Venezuela.
Maritime safety probe
House Speaker Prospero Nograles stressed the
need for a comprehensive review of the country’s existing maritime
policies in light of the recent tragedy involving the Princess of
the Stars.
Nograles said he has ordered the House
Transportation Committee chaired by Rep. Monico Puentevella of
Bacolod to conduct an inquiry.
Apart from looking at the culpability of
maritime authorities, transportation officials and the management of
Sulpicio Lines, Nograles said the inquiry should also be aimed at
instituting legislation that will strengthen existing maritime laws.
Nograles warned that if shipping vessel
operators, maritime regulators and law enforcement agencies will be
back to “business as usual” soon after the issue has gone away,
other vessels will likely experience the fate of the Princess.
“Their negligence and outright disregard for
the safety of passengers, because of greed for profit, have caused
immeasurable pain for the love ones of those who perished in MV
Princess of the Stars,” he said.
-- Maricel V. Cruz and Jomar Canlas
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