Sen. Grace Poe opening statement Rizal boat tragedy and other maritime bills
August 8, 2023
SEN. GRACE POE OPENING STATEMENT RIZAL BOAT TRAGEDY AND OTHER MARITIME BILLS
AUGUST 8, 2023
Magandang umaga po sa ating lahat. Bago natin pormal na simulan ang pagdinig, let us offer a minute of silent prayer for the victims of this unfortunate incident and their loved ones left behind. Gayundin para sa mga survivors na patuloy nilalabanan ang trauma bunsod ng insidente.
Last July 27, 27 lives perished due to the negligence of a few. Hindi pa man tapos ang imbestigasyon ng iba't ibang ahensiya, ito ang sigurado tayo: Hinayaang makaalis ng port ang bangka kahit na overloaded ito, hindi kumpleto ang manipesto at walang suot na life vest ang mga pasahero. Bagama't walang storm signal, masama ang lagay ng panahon pero binigyan pa rin ng clearance maglayag ang bangka. At kamakailan nga, nadiskubre pa na wala palang valid license ang kapitan ng bangka. Indeed, this is a recipe for disaster - an accident waiting to happen. And it did.
Despite being an archipelago, the Philippines has a poor maritime safety record with people dying in sea mishaps yearly. These incidents usually involve aging, wooden motor boats used for fishing but repurposed as passenger boats to move people from one island to another. From 2017 to 2022, Marina investigated a total of 769 maritime accidents which involve capsizing, explosion, collision, engine failure, among others.
Nito nga lang nagdaang linggo, tatlong magkakasunod na boat accidents ang naganap sa Samar, Quezon, at sa Romblon kung saan may isang namatay. Dagdag ito sa humahabang listahan ng mga trahedya sa dagat kabilang na ang pagkamatay ng 33 na katao sa isang ferry fire sa Basilan noong Marso lamang.
Today, we are here to make those responsible accountable. Alam nating hindi lamang iisang tao ang may pagkakasala at dapat managot dito. This is a systemic failure borne out of the lack of proper implementation of existing maritime safety laws - ang mga batas na magpoprotekta sana sa ating mga kababayan mula sa kapahamakan.
It is easy to conclude that the cause of the incident is overloading kaya bumigay ang katig at lumubog ang bangka. But I believe, it goes deeper than that. Una sa lahat, seaworthy pa ba ang mga bangkang ito? Ano bang parameters ng Marina para masabing seaworthy ang isang bangka at pwede itong magsakay ng mga pasahero. Kailan huling na-inspect for seaworthiness ang MB Aya Express?
Pangalawa, nagkaroon ba ng pre-departure inspection para masigurong nagcomply sa safety standards ang bangka? Sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 9993, may karapatan ang Coast Guard na pigilan ang paglayag ng isang bangka kung hindi ito compliant. Hindi ba't ang hindi pagsuot ng life vest at pag ooverload ng bangka ay paglabag na sa safety standard? Bakit walang pumigil dito.
Ikatlo, meron nga bang kakulangan sa batas na magbibigay liability sa shipowner at boat captain kapag nagkaroon ng mga insidenteng tulad nito? Lalo na kung wala palang valid license ang kapitan na magpaandar ng isang bangka. We want to know if there were cases in the past when the boat captain and the shipowner were actually held liable.
Ikaapat, kabilang sa seaworthiness ng isang bangka ay ang pagkakaroon ng competent na vessel crew. In reality, may isinasagawa bang training o emergency preparedness seminar para sa mga crew? Alam ba nila na isang safety issue ang overloading at na dapat ay totoo ang nilalaman ng isang manifest?
Panghuli, may proper coordination ba ang Coast Guard sa ating weather bureau? Storm signal lang ba ang tanging basehan para mag-issue ng 'no sail policy' o may kapangyarihan ang Coast Guard na huwag magpalayag base sa warnings ng PAGASA? Anong assessment ng Coast Guard sa panahon noong araw na yon? Sa mga videong kuha during the accident, kitang kita na malakas ang hangin at ulan.
This tragedy revealed serious maritime safety compliance lapses that need to be revisited. Maraming pagkukulang na dapat matagal nang tinugunan. It should not have cost us 27 lives for our maritime authorities to realize these implementation gaps. In a country composed of thousands of islands, the Philippines should have the highest safety standards in water transportation.
In today's hearing, we will also be tackling Senate Bill Numbers 312 and 1168, the maritime safety measures authored by Senators Zubiri and Angara as policy initiatives of this investigation; as well as Senate Bill Numbers 2016, 2112 and 2307 or the proposed PCG modernization measures authored by Senators Estrada, Go and Villanueva to determine whether there is a need to enhance the capabilities of our Coast Guard so that they can more effectively respond to maritime safety issues such as this.
We will also be tackling the privilege speech of Senator Raffy Tulfo regarding this incident.
Similarly, allow me to take this opportunity to stress the need for a Philippine Transport Safety Board na siyang mag-iimbestiga sa mga insidenteng tulad nito upang matukoy bakit ito nangyari at magbigay ng mga rekomendasyon at pag-aaral upang 'di na ito mangyaring muli at isang independent board na hindi konektado sa mga naging kasama sa mga insidente.
Alam kong marami tayong hinahanap na kasagutan, lalo na ang mga survivors at pamilya ng mga namatayan. Sino ang dapat managot, makasuhan at makulong? Anong danyos ang maaring makuha ng mga biktima ng trahedya? We all know that no amount of money will ever replace the lives of our loved ones, hindi matutumbasan ng salapi ang buhay ng taong minahal natin, ngunit kahit papaano, this will provide for the families in the interim habang sila ay dumadaan sa kalungkutan.
We hope and pray that as we conclude this investigation, we bring to light the issues that led to this painful tragedy, and bring justice a step closer for all the survivors and the families left behind.
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