AQUINO GOVT MOVES TO END SEA TRAGEDIES

President Benigno Aquino 3rd has given marching orders to once and for all end within six years the vicious cycle of sea tragedies that plague the archipelago, an official said.

”Our target is zero maritime accident,” Aneli Lontoc, undersecretary for maritime transport of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), told The Manila Times.

Lontoc said that Transportation Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus has ordered his people to draw up an action plan to promote maritime safety in the next six years.

”Although there are already safety programs and measures being done, the Secretary [de Jesus] would like to further improve our safety records,” she added.

As an archipelagic country, Lontoc said that sea disasters were understandably frequent because the ferry system is one of the major modes of transportation connecting the country’s more than 7,000 islands.

The maritime industry is an important industry in the country, contributing significantly to the national economy and providing employment.

The most recent accidents include the Aboitiz Transport System Corp.’s SuperFerry 9, which sank off Zam-boanga with almost 1,000 passengers and crew, and Sulpicio Lines’ MV Princess of the Stars, which sank with more than 700 people aboard.

The worst maritime disaster in the world happened in the Philippines in 1987, when MV Doña Paz sank after colliding with an oil tanker in Manila Bay. In that accident, 4,375 passengers died.

Data from the National Statistical Coordination Board shows that 1,228 maritime fatalities were recorded from 2000 to 2006.

Weather forecasting

One measure that the government was looking to prevent maritime disasters, Lontoc said, was the reliability of weather forecast.

”Accurate weather forecast is a key, especially during typhoon season,” Lontoc explained, adding that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) decides whether a vessel would be permitted to sail during a storm. But the decision depends on the weather forecast supplied the national weather bureau, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, she told The Times.

”It’s important for our coast guard to have an accurate and consistent weather forecast,” she added.

Besides the reports from the weather bureau, Lontoc said that the government was looking at subscribing to the weather forecast services from Japan, Hawaii and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—all respected for their higher reliability.

Lontoc added that coast guard also issued guidelines last year on grounding vessels, taking into consideration ship’s weight class.

Under the new rules—titled “Guidelines on Movement of Vessels During Heavy Weather”—the coast guard prohibits vessel less than 1,000 gross tons from sailing when public storm Signal No. 1, the lowest in a ranking, has been raised the weather bureau.

When the typhoon classification reaches Signal No. 2 or stronger, no vessels, even the biggest ones, are allowed to sail within the point of origin or route or point of destination.

Prior to this circular, the coast guard banned all vessels from sailing only when storm Signal No. 3 or 4 are raised.

”The PCG is now more conservative. It’s better to err on the side of caution than take the risk,” Lontoc said.

Choppers, other resources

Lontoc also told The Times that the Transportation department was setting aside P1.6 billion to purchase new maritime disaster response helicopter to strengthen the rescue operation of the coast guard during sea tragedy and other missions when typhoons strike.

”We have included in our [department’s] budget the purchase of two choppers next year. Our target is [to acquire] seven helicopters, but we don’t have the funds. Maybe we can buy more in the next two to three years,” she said.
At present, the coast guard has only two helicopters.

In the proposed national budget next year, the allocation for the DOTC is P32 billion.

The Transportation department official said that the government would be spending P151 million next year to rehabilitate the coast guard’s lighthouses in the country to ensure safety of lives at sea.

As of last year, 95 lighthouses out of 588 nationwide were inoperable.

Coast guard and Marina

Plus, Lontoc said that the coast guard would be hiring 500 additional personnel to boost its rescue operations capabilities.

”They need 1,000 people, but they were only give just 500,” Lontoc said, adding that there are about 5,000 existing coast guard personnel.

Last year, then President Gloria Arroyo signed the Republic Act 9993, or the Philippine Coast Guard Act of 2009, which aims to enhance maritime safety and prevent sea tragedies.

The law formally transfers the coast guard from the Department of National Defense to Transportation and Communications department. The coast guard, however, will revert back the Defense department if war breaks out—and only if congressional approval.

Lontoc also said that Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) was proactively checking all vessels, even when they were docked, to ensure safety.

Emerson Lorenzo, administrator of Marina said that his agency would prioritize the safety of the maritime sector by using Geographical Information System (GIS).

GIS systems are used in cartography, remote sensing, land surveying, utility management, natural resource management, photogrammetry, geography, urban planning, emergency management, navigation and localized search engines.

He added that to prevent maritime accidents, the government should ensure the continued seaworthiness of ships in operation; officers and crew manning such ships are qualified and competent; provide and maintain the needed aids to navigation.

“It bears stressing, however, that, accidents, by their very nature, would continue to remain as a possible occurrence, but the probability for such could be managed and reduced,” Lorenzo said.

The maritime agency earlier issued rules and procedures on the approval of lifejackets and lifebuoys for ships to ensure the quality and foster safety of life at sea.

Lorenzo added that Marina was refinalizing a draft Philippine Marine Act of 2009 filed earlier in Congress. They hope to reintroduce the bill in the new Congress.

The Philippine Marine Act proposes to formulate and implement a 10-year Maritime Development Plan to cover, among others, adopting a single Philippine registry, and establish an Admiralty Court that will hear all cases on maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offenses.

The bill also aims to establish a National Maritime Authority, which will be attached to the Transportation and Communications department.

The authority will be responsible and accountable for the implementation of public maritime laws, rules and regulations. –Darwin G. Amojelar Senior Reporter, Manila Times