4 Coast Guard men face homicide raps

Charges of multiple homicide were filed with the Leyte Regional Trial Court yesterday against four Philippine Coast Guard personnel for the sinking of an inter-island ferry on May 11 that left 19 people dead, PCG commandant Vice Adm. Reuben Lista said.

Despite the filing of charges, however, President Arroyo was enraged yesterday by the PCG’s failure to enforce maritime regulations that could have saved the lives of the 19 people who died when the M/B Nilode capsized off Naval, Biliran around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

"What kind of work is the Coast Guard doing?" the President asked, obviously infuriated by Lista’s remarks that the PCG’s supposed lack of funds and regulatory powers were two reasons why sea accidents continue to plague the country.

Aside from the criminal charges, administrative charges of dereliction of duty and negligence would also be filed against Chief Petty Officer Romulo Mesias and Petty Officers 2nd Class Jose Alamo, Jerry Geranco and Teresito Toyosa.

Lista said Mesias is the detachment commander of the Naval municipal pier while the three enlisted personnel are clearing officers who supposedly allowed the ill-fated boat to sail although it was evidently overloaded.

Coast Guard station commander Lt. Commander Alex Germinia, who has jurisdiction over the Biliran port, was also relieved under the principle of command responsibility, he added.

Lista had earlier said that one of the reasons for sea accidents was that the PCG did not have enough personnel and ships to fulfill its mandate. He also blamed the loss of some regulatory powers which were transferred to the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

But the President was infuriated by Lista’s comment and said such matters had nothing to do with the mishap off Biliran.

"What happened in Biliran was not due to lack of funds but to the people who should be there to guard against such violations," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"I don’t know what regulatory powers they are talking about. I see no reason why they would allow 130 people to board a boat that should only carry 30 people," the President fumed.

The 13-ton M/B Nilode, licensed to carry only 30 people, was carrying at least 90 passengers when it capsized off the municipal port of Naval, Biliran around 4:30 p.m. of Saturday.

It was the second sea mishap in a month after the larger ferry M/V Maria Carmela caught fire off Lucena City on April 11, leaving at least 72 people dead and missing.

The President is scheduled to fly to Biliran this morning to condole with the families of the victims, mostly residents of Maripipi island who were returning from a fiesta in Naval.

Mrs. Arroyo will fly to Biliran accompanied by Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman before proceeding to Surigao City where she is expected to preside over a joint meeting of the regional development council and the regional peace and order C=council.

Sen. Noli de Castro also demanded that the PCG explain why M/B Nilode was still allowed to sail although it was overloaded.

"After we have attended to the situation of the (surviving) passengers and the relatives of the fatalities, the authorities should explain why the M/B Nilode was still allowed to sail," De Castro asked.

He said the PCG has the sole authority and responsibility to allow sea vessels to set sail and PCG officials should not blame local government officials.

"If it were true that local leaders pressured (the PCG) to allow the motor boat to leave, the coast guard should not have succumbed to the pressure because they are ultimately the ones who will be legally liable," he said.

Nonetheless, De Castro said allegations that local politicians were partly to blame for the overloading of the M/B Nilode should also be investigated.

Insistent mayor also to blame?

During the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) meeting on Sunday morning, the ferry operator, Afredo Malana, whose wife Josephine died in the mishap, said he would not have allowed the boat to be overloaded had it not been for the insistence of Maripipi Mayor Uldarico Macorol.

Sources in Naval said many of the passengers of the ill-fated boat were Maripipi barangay officials who attended the celebrations marking Biliran’s 10th anniversary as a province.

The barangay officials were supposedly rushing back for the fiestas that were also being celebrated in their island town. Macorol supposedly "asked but not forced" Malana to accommodate their constituents.

Malana told the PDCC he had no choice but to accommodate the excess passengers because the request was being made by the Maripipi mayor.

But Biliran Gov. Gerry Espina defended Macorol and said the focus of the probe should be on the owner of the boat and on the PCG.

"Initial reports show that most, if not all, of the local officials were among the casualties," Espina said in a telephone interview.

Espina said his son Gov. Rogelio Espina has already formed a fact-finding team to investigate the circumstances of the accident which, he said, could have been prevented had the PCG fulfilled their duty. - With reports from Miriam Garcia Desacada, Perseus Echeminada and AFP