Our Guilt

Every time a maritime disaster like the very recent M/V Asia South Korea happens I die a little inside me. What is happening to our maritime bureaucracy? They fight over turf. The agencies tasked to regulate the maritime industry are fighting, positioning themselves to garner all the functions like hyenas snapping at the carcass of the dead passengers. What is all this for? Dollars and cents! Agency glory? Personal aggrandizement? Tell me what?

For two decades our seafarers have been voicing their desire to simplify the maritime functions of the government agencies involved in the regulatory task in the industry. Letters and recommendations have been sent to the legislative and executive branches of government but they have fallen on deaf ears. Even the International Maritime Organization has amended the SOLAS 74 and the STCW 78 to try and persuade, perhaps, force the parties to the convention to toe the line for the interest of "Cleaner Seas and Safer Shipping" but our own government has been dragging its feet, listening to people who profess to be experts in maritime safety when in truth they sit behind a desk and read rules and regulations, then shout to high heavens that they are experts. Pseudo experts, I should say, with vested interest dripping blood of their victims on the sides.

How many more innocent victims of maritime disasters must we have before government wakes up and address the needs of maritime safety in the country? How many more infants and children shall we lose floating bloated at sea and washed along the shore because of government apathy? How many more volumes of document shall we bring about by investigations left and right in Congress before an honest to goodness work is done for maritime safety?

How many agencies do we have, pulling each other's hair for the various functions in the industry? Our number one on the list is the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) which has gone out of legal charter to grab functions inherently not its own in the guise of complying with dubious executive orders. The number two on the list is the Office of the President which indiscriminately issues executive orders without even an iota of research and studies in a knee jerk reaction and in areas foreign to them. They perchance base issuances on the "bulong-bulongan" the "bulong-bulongan" of friends whose vested interests drip with dollars and cents in between?

The number three indicted are the many ship owners and operators who profess to comply with safety regulations in print and oral declarations but fail to implement the very same rules and regulations in exchange for the lives of their passengers and the earnings they get out of these nefarious exercises. The next indictment goes to Congress, which dribbles with anguish and shed crocodile tears for the lives lost at sea, but fail to address the legislative issues that should have corrected these squabbles, outdated and obsolete maritime rules and regulation. Next in line is the Philippine Coast Guard, which while well versed and trained in maritime safety, meekly becomes the errand boy and chopping block of Marina and the Department of Transportation and Communications. Lastly our Maritime Educational System and Maritime Re-training Centers together with the Professional Regulation Commission which learned of the amendments to the STCW 78 in early 1992 but crawls on all fours in implementing orders that should have been implemented years back and earned a pat on the back for anticipation.

Our seafarers ("Bagong Bayani as they are called") spend time, money, and effort to improve themselves, foregoing vacation and time spent with their families, but with what? Antiquated equipment. Nineteenth century technology for the 21st century industry. Even the governments of Japan, Norway, United Europe, Canada and Australia are spending money for the upgrading of our seafarers but our implementing policies like our maritime rules and regulations are antiquated and utterly sluggish.

There is only one solution to this shameful and costly exercise. Congress and Malacañang should now create a body of dedicated people in the industry, with the technical know-how, people from the academe, people from the maritime professional ranks, people in law, people in labor to sit as a council, not a council that meets today and forget the work tomorrow (not a social club) but a dedicated council whose work should be continuing until we have addressed the meat of these problems. Let us simplify the maritime bureaucracy into four divisions: 1) commerce 2) education 3) labor & skills development 4) safety & protection of the marine environment.

We are not wanting in these minds and expertise, but we are wanting in dedicated leadership. Leaders whose only question would be: "Is this good for the country, the industry and people as a whole?" We must find a middle ground. Let us ask those who know and pick collectively that which will work for the common good in maritime safety and industry. We must have an honest and progressive plan, a vision for the Maritime Industry in the new millennium.

The writer is a retired ship captain.