23rd case filed against Sulpicio

CEBU - Seaman Romulo Logroño could have made it to Bohol and be with his family had it not been for the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars last June 21 off Sibuyan Island in Romblon.

He could have been with his wife, Maria, and their six children who were waiting for him to come home from a trip in Manila where he had processed his papers for another trip abroad.

Because of his death, Maria filed the 23rd civil suit against Sulpicio Lines, Inc. asking the company to pay P18.391 million as actual and compensatory damages and P800,000 for moral and exemplary damages.

Named respondents in the suit were Capt. Florencio Marimon, the ship master of the Princess of the Stars; Enrique Go, SLI president; Eusebio Go, executive vice president; Carlos Go, executive vice president and chief executive officer; Victoriano Go, senior vice president and secretary; Dominador Go, first vice president; Ricardo Go, first vice president and treasurer; Edward Go, first vice president and the directors officer of the shipping firm.

Earlier, the public attorney’s office has not yet decided whether to drop Marimon from among the respondents in the civil suits against Sulpicio in connection with the Princess of the Stars tragedy.

PAO regional public lawyer Maria G-ree Calinawan, in an interview, said their office has not decided yet on the matter as they are still checking on the veracity of the reported identification of the body of Marimon done by the National Bureau of Investigation.

Calinawan said that they are still waiting for concrete evidence to prove that the body was indeed that of Marimon who was buried recently.

She said that NBI does not want to give complete results of the test that is why PAO has yet to gather evidence that would serve as basis for them to drop the name of the skipper from being a respondent of the civil suits filed against the shipping company.

Calinawan also said that the consolidation of the civil suits against Sulpicio before Regional Trial Court branches where these suits are respectively assigned and raffled off has already been filed for purpose of convenience and uniformity of procedures and that these cases will be assigned to only one branch. – Jasmin R. Uy/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)