The need for a national trans. safety board!

It was indeed a close call for some 178 passengers and crew of the M/V Asia Malaysia of the Trans Asia Shipping Lines, Inc. (TASLI) that sank last Sunday morning off the Calabasas Island, Panay some 80 kilometers from the Port of Iloilo. Thanks to the presence of the Bantay Dagat group operating near the area, the M/T Fil Visayas, including the M/V Filipinas of Cokaliong Shipping Lines that was nearby, all the passengers were rescued and accounted for. At least this tragedy did not end in a disaster that would be heard round the world, after all the Philippines have time and again gotten a very poor maritime track record.

 But while this near disaster did not take any human life, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) ought to look at why the M/V Asia Malaysia sank supposedly after it experienced strong winds, so we can learn from the lessons of that sinking. Yes the seas were a bit rough last Sunday, as we were taking the SuperCat from Cebu to Tagbilaran to attend the grand opening of the BlueWater Panglao Beach Resort of the Alegrado Family, but it was perfectly safe for ships to travel.

 Incidentally, whenever there are disasters, it always reminds us of something that Congress for many decades have failed to do… that is to come up with a law for the Philippine version of the National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB), an independent body designed to investigate, air, land and sea disasters. This is the body that should come up with the results of all disasters, but for the land based vehicles, they are limited only to investigating bus crashes, which we are also having more than our share of accidents.

 As we pointed out earlier, the Philippines has a very sorry record in the Maritime world as we are listed to have the worst maritime sea disaster in the sinking of the Doña Paz of Sulpicio Lines. But somehow, Congress never came to creating this body, which all highly-developed countries have. So who among our congressmen or congresswomen are prepared to sponsor this bill, please come out now.

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 Last Saturday morning, I went to my friend Felix Gochan’s firing rang in Bo. Agus and passed by the old bridge and into Patalingjug Ave. and I got stuck in traffic, not because traffic is bad on Saturdays, but rather because they are cementing Patalingjug Ave. I understand that effective this week, the portion of the Agus-Gisi road will also be closed for concreting, which is why all motorists are advised to take the Basak-Marigondon-Agus route. Now this is laudable move of the administration of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza because truly, it is high time to fix our roads more permanently using cement rather than asphalt, which gets washed away because of the strong rains. I’m happy that this is done in Lapu-Lapu City

 While they are still fixing the Patalingjug Ave., now is the right time to already plan for a separate parking for tricycles in the Gaisano Shopping Mall area, the principal reason why traffic is so clogged in that area. To think this road leads to the beaches in Mactan! It is the responsibility of the City of Lapu-Lapu to clear all the major thoroughfares from those that clog the road, from sidewalk vendors who practically occupy what’s left of the sidewalks to those who park illegally, making a short 10- minute trip from the Mactan Airport a harrowing 30-minute trip.

 I have to say it here that all Local Government Unit (LGU) officials should take care that all the tourists that come into their tourist destinations should enjoy their stay, free from the traffic of their own cities, free from the beggars, which most foreign tourists do not experience in their homes and above all, they have good memories of their visit to the Philippines. Lapu-Lapu City is such a city and they must inculcate the importance of tourists especially when it comes to peace and order in the tourist areas.

 As I pointed out, we attended the grand launching of the BlueWater Panglao Beach Resort last Sunday, which coincided with the Sandugo Festival of Bohol. But Governor Edgar Chatto who went to the launching told me how valuable each tourist that comes to Bohol is to their local government. This is the right attitude, which has made Bohol a very important tourist destination, because the tourists who go there go home with pleasant memories. Tourists who visit Bohol do not see piles of garbage or beggars disturbing them on their short visit. Now can Lapu-Lapu City do this?

 Incidentally, I got a lot of positive comments about our article yesterday. Someone texted me that Rep. Tomas Osmeña’s proposal to move the Mactan Airport to Cordova was to follow in the footsteps of his father Sen. Serging Osmeña. But alas, the transfer from Lahug Airport to Mactan was an improvement for Cebu, after all Lahug could not take on big jets. But moving to Cordova is a waste of funds as Mactan is functioning already!

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