Cebu ferry collision death toll climbs to 104

MANILA, Philippines - Coast Guard, Navy and police divers have recovered seven more bodies, including that of a baby from the sunken M/V St. Thomas Aquinas.

Commander Armand Balilo, Coast Guard spokesman, told The STAR the latest recovery was made yesterday afternoon.

“As of 5 p.m., we have recovered one body,” he said.  “So there’s a total of seven, when you add the six recovered last Saturday.”

The tally of recovered bodies has gone up to 104 and the missing down to 33, he added.

More than 100 passengers were killed when the cargo ship M/V Sulpicio Express 7  rammed the passenger ship St. Thomas Aquinas off the port of Cebu last Aug. 16.

Last week, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has already started hearings   on the cancellation of the certificate of public convenience of Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. (PSACC) for the accident.

Marina is now hearing two cases for the cancellation of   the certificate of public convenience of seemingly two but basically one shipping company, Sulpicio Lines, Inc. now also known as the  PSACC, for two sea mishaps.

Marina’s resolution of the case for the cancellation of the certificate of public convenience of Sulpicio Lines has long been delayed.

In 2008, the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) filed the case following the  sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars where some 437 people were killed, and 10,000 kilos of toxic chemicals were spilled in  waters off Sibuyan island, Romblon.

In a phone interview, chief public attorney Persida Rueda-Acosta told The STAR Marina should be questioned over the delayed resolution of the  case against Sulpicio.

“We had finished the presentation of our case two years ago,” she said. “But until now, there has been no resolution by the Marina.” 

Acosta said  Marina’s approval of the corporate maneuver that allowed Sulpicio to sell itself to PSACC was highly irregular.

It allowed Sulpicio to present itself as a different company, when the owners of Sulpicio were the same owners of PSACC, she added.

Acosta said the government’s case filed against Sulpicio for the Princess of the Stars tragedy was strong, if not airtight, since they presented evidence that the ship’s captain had disregarded typhoon signal number 3 raised in Romblon, even when a signal number 1 remained hoisted when the ship sailed out of the port of Romblon.

Acosta said the issue about Sulpicio loading a large cargo of toxic chemicals on board a passenger vessel was also a strong argument against the company.

“There was even concealment of that,” she said.

At first, Sulpicio tried to hide the fact that toxic  cargo was on board, she added.

Engineer Nelson Ramirez, United Filipino Seafarers president, also criticize the Marina and the Coast Guard for coddling Sulpicio Lines and PSACC, and allowing the supposed sale of Sulpicio to PSACC, that basically changed the company’s name to escape any punitive action of the government for failure to meet the conditions set by Marina for the lifting of the suspension of its certificate of public convenience.

“Even if they changed the name of the company, the new company should not have been granted a franchise cause it could not satisfy requirements for a CPC,” he said.

“They should no longer be allowed to sail, even with a new name. They should not be allowed in the business itself or allowed to sail again and be given a franchise after these accidents, these deaths.

“The owners of Sulpicio are not even former seafarers. They have no ship experience. They just want to be in the business.”

Dante Jimenez, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman, called for an end to the operations of Sulpicio and PSACC.

“The company is a recidivist, with tragedies killing thousands,” he said.

Jimenez, Coast Guard auxiliary officer with the rank of commodore, told The STAR: “We believe that they are an incompetent transport company that should be stopped from operating.”

Jimenez, who owns a maritime school, said if Sulpicio’s certificate of public convenience was promptly cancelled in 2008, the  collision with the St. Thomas Aquinas would have been prevented.

The Special Board of Marine Inquiry will wrap up its investigation and start assessing its findings on the collision of the Sulpicio Express 7 and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The report will be submitted to the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Sulpicio Lines holds the worst sea tragedy record   worldwide, when 4,375 people died after the M/V Doña Paz collided with the oil tanker  M/T Vector on Dec. 20, 1987.

As of August 2013, Sulpicio Lines has been involved in an least five maritime accidents, killing more than 5,000 people.

Following the Doña Paz tragedy, the M/V Doña Marilyn sank on Oct. 24, 1988, killing 77 people.

On Sept. 18, 1998, 70 passengers of the M/V Princess of the Orient died after the boat sank.

The Princess of the Stars sank on June 21, 2008.