10 more bodies recovered from sunken ferry in Romblon

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo reported that on the second day of the resumption of retrieval operations, divers have recovered a total of 22 bodies from the M/V Princess of the Stars that sank off Sibuyan Island in Romblon last June 21 at the height of typhoon “Frank.”

Tamayo said that as of 4:30 p.m. yesterday, another 10 bodies have been gathered in addition to the 12 initially lifted from the capsized ferry last Sunday.

“The recovered bodies were taken from the Orbit dining salon which is on the C Deck of the ship. This is the economy class section of the ship,” Tamayo said.

He said that they are targeting to complete phase two, or the recovery of all the dead passengers and crew from the vessel, in two to three weeks’ time.

Phase one, or the recovery of toxic chemicals, including the hydrocarbons (bunker fuel) from the sunken ferry, has been completed.

He said that the 16 divers of the salvor Harbor Star had to deal with the debris and the poor visibility under water, but added that he believes Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI), owner of the sunken ferry, provided the divers with big body bags so all the remains, taken from one cluster, would fit inside one bag.

Once the remains have been placed inside the bag, it is zipped up, labeled and loaded onto the waiting SLI ship, he said.

The bodies are then transported to Cebu, where a team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is waiting to autopsy the bodies and identify them.

Tamayo gave assurances that proper decontamination process is being implemented on the divers and the others who handle the body bags to ensure that they would not catch any disease.

PCG Southern Tagalog District commander Commodore Cecil Chen explained that since the bodies are already in an advanced state of decomposition, this may pose health risks to the handler.

There were more than 800 people on board the Princess of the Stars and the PCG said that at least 33 survived, more than 200 have been confirmed dead and about 515 remain missing.

Meantime, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) will set up a high-tech search and rescue station in San Fernando, Romblon to respond to any distress call from ships cruising the Sibuyan Sea.

Tamayo told The STAR that DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza has given the go signal for the activation of the Sibuyan Sea quick response station which will be operational by February next year.

He said the 150-man rescue unit, equipped with two ships and an aircraft will be on standby at the San Fernando Port.

“With the presence of the rescue station, the response will be immediate particularly during inclement weather,” Tamayo said, citing the importance of response time in saving the lives of passengers and crew of a capsized vessel.

Tamayo said the Sibuyan Sea is now considered as the most dangerous maritime route in the country as several ships have capsized in the area.

Aside from the quick response team, the DOTC has also approved the recruitment of an additional 1,000 Coast Guard personnel who will be deployed in various ports of the country to ensure that only seaworthy ships are allowed to leave port. –With Perseus Echeminada