'Anatalia captain has bogus license'

MANILA, Philippines - The captain of the fishing vessel that collided with the passenger ship M/V Catalyn-B that left at least 25 people dead last month, reportedly used a bogus license and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) might file charges against him.

Commodore Luis Tuason Jr., Philippine Coast Guard-National Capital Region-Central Luzon district commander, who chairs the Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI) on the sea collision, yesterday said Regulo Libril, captain of F/B Anatalia, has a fake PRC license for a major patron.

The PRC also issued a certificate denying it granted a license to Libril.

Libril allegedly admitted during a recent SBMI hearing at the PCG headquarters that he met a person in Navotas City and paid P5,000, and after three days of waiting, he got his PRC license for a major patron last July.

Legally, a person is issued a major patron license if he is a high school graduate, has met the number of years of experience at sea, and has passed an oral assessment and an examination.

Since the SBMI is only tasked to determine the administrative liability of the owners, captains and crew of the two vessels involved, it is up to other government agencies to assess if there is a need to file any criminal cases against them.

“The PRC can file a case against him, maybe falsification of license,” Tuason said.

The SBMI was also informed that Libril reportedly did not have a chart of Manila Bay, was not aware of the rules on collision, and did not undergo formal training in the Vessel Traffic Separation Scheme (VTSS).

“Whatever knowledge he has on the VTSS, he only got it from overhearing the conversations of other people,” Tuason said.