MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has removed two of its personnel in a substation that covers the area where a motorized passenger boat capsized in Laguna de Bay off Binangonan, Rizal shortly after leaving port on July 27.
At a press conference yesterday, PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu announced that the two have been removed “for them not to interfere in the fair conduct of the investigation.”
“We can’t say yet that they have lapses. The purpose of this investigation is for us to determine if there have been shortcomings in their duties,” he said in Filipino.
Motor boat Aya Express was bound for Talim Island on Thursday when it encountered strong winds, prompting panicked passengers to rush to the left side, causing the boat to overturn shortly after leaving the port in Barangay Kalinawan past 1:30 p.m.
According to the PCG incident command post in Binangonan, as of 5 p.m. yesterday, a total of 70 passengers have been accounted for: 43 were rescued while 27 others died.
Binangonan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Jose Hernandez III said the figure is still not the final total of passengers onboard the boat as the PCG has yet to complete its “surface search and rescue/retrieval operations” in the next three days.
During the operation, the PCG said it would look for bodies that might have floated within the area where the boat capsized.
The captain of the boat – which reportedly had a maximum capacity of 42 people – listed only 22 names in the manifesto, said PCG’s National Capital Region (NCR)-Central Luzon District commander Rear Admiral Hostillo Arturo Cornelio.
The PCG has sent divers to help in search efforts, according to PCG’s NCR District Deputy Commander Captain Glen Daraug.
“The entire boat has not been searched yet. Maybe in the canopy or canvass roof, we will look there,” he told reporters on Thursday.
At 1:30 p.m. yesterday, the PCG announced it has ended its underwater search and rescue/retrieval operations with the police and Philippine Red Cross, which the PCG noted lasted for seven hours.
It added it would shift to “surface search and rescue/retrieval operations” today.
Meanwhile, Abu urged owners and operators of passenger vessels to be “responsible” in ensuring safety, adding the boat captain will also be probed.
The PNP-Calabarzon and the PCG said they would conduct a parallel investigation on the incident to determine who should be held accountable for the vessel’s sinking.
Suspended
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) announced it suspended the passenger ship safety certificate of Aya Express, prohibiting it from sailing.
In a letter to owner Rufino
Antonil last July 27 when the boat sank, MARINA’s Metro Manila director Marc Anthony Pascua said the agency came to such a decision after learning about the mishap, doubting if it was fit enough to sail.
“In accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9295 and its implementing rules and regulations, specifically the Ship Survey System outlined in MARINA Memorandum Circular No. MS-2023-01 and MARINA Administrative Order No. 11-19, a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate shall be suspended when the ship has been involved in sea incident that may put into question the integrity of the ship’s hull, integral parts and other affected machineries/appliances,” Pascua wrote.
The agency would inspect the said vessel to determine if the suspension should stay or be lifted once search and rescue operations on any missing passenger is done, it noted. It would also determine if it would revoke its certificate of public convenience through administrative proceedings.
Meanwhile, the skipper of Aya Express, Donald Anain, has apologized for the incident, which he said no one wanted to happen.
“I hope they will forgive me for what happened, I did not wish for it to happen,” Anain said over CNN Philippines.
Hernandez said the PCG, the local police and other concerned government agencies will continue to conduct search and retrieval operations for other possible passengers.
The local government earlier assured the bereaved families and the survivors recuperating in hospitals they will shoulder all their expenses.
Negligence
A mother of one of the casualties accused authorities of being negligent about passenger safety.
Among the casualties was Denice Aparentado, 24, a teacher at Our Lady of Peace School in Antipolo City. She was supposed to go home to Talim Island in Binangonan noon of July 27, according to her mother Glenda.
Glenda recalled talking to her daughter through online chat, where she said she is aboard Aya Express.
Later on, Glenda was told about the capsizing of the boat and the retrieval of Denice’s body.
She also hit the PCG for allegedly allowing overloading of passengers on boats, saying it has been like that since travel restrictions and seating capacity rules enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted.
Meanwhile, six relatives of Rey Arambulo, chairman of Barangay Gulod in Talim Island, Binangonan also perished while three others survived.
Included among the casualties were two presidents of senior citizens’ associations of two barangays in Binangonan, who were supposed to work on updating their registry of elderly residents before the municipal government.
Meanwhile, the Diocese of Antipolo will hold special collection efforts during masses on Sunday, July 30 to help the families of the 27 passengers who died.
In his letter, newly installed Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos called for “any assistance” by the Catholic faithful in the diocese for the bereaved families.
Probe
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said an investigation should be conducted on the death of 27 passengers of the capsized boat MB Aya Express.
“Why did they lift the no sailing order?… Too early). Strong winds and even heavy rains still persisted hours after Egay,” Pimentel said. “Yes, we need to investigate because the bulk of Egay deaths came from this incident.”
Pimentel, however, said prayers should also be offered for the personnel of the PCG who died while performing their duty. “But we also pray for the PCG personnel who lost their lives in their heroism to help others during Egay,” Pimentel noted. — Ed Amoroso, Emmanuel Tupas, Cecille Suerte Felipe