Around 30 passengers die in Philippine ferry mishap

Around 30 passengers die in Philippine ferry mishap

A wooden ferry capsized leaving around 30 passengers dead while 40 passengers were rescued in the Philippines’ Rizal province, south of Manila.

The mishap on July 27 was attributed to overcrowding by the Philippine Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) while also raising questions about how the vessel was allowed to sail in inclement weather.

The motorboat “Princess Aya” left Binangonan town in Rizal province on its way to Talim Island in a nearby province across the country’s biggest Laguna Bay.

“The vessel was overcrowded which contributed to the number of deaths,” MARINA official and investigator Jocelyn de Dios said at a press conference on July 27.

He questioned why the vessel was given the green light to cross the bay.

“Princess Aya’s management claimed they were given clearance to sail because the typhoon [Doksuri] was about to leave the Philippine area of responsibility,” he said.

The wooden ferry was good for 30-40 people but carried double the number of passengers. They panicked when strong winds and waves hit it, according to a MARINA official.

Philippine Coast Guard too felt the accident could have been avoided had the port authorities in Rizal province disapproved of the voyage and the overcrowding.

“Whoever was in charge has some explanation to do. Per our investigation, the vessel could not sustain the weight of the entire passengers when they rushed to one side because of the severe winds,” Rear Admiral Hostillo Arturo Cornelio of the coast guard said at the press conference.

Cornelio said the vessel was still 14 meters (or 150 feet) away from shore when it was hit by a strong wave.

“No one saw that the motorboat sank because they were still far from the shore and people were in their homes due to bad weather. This was an accident that could have been prevented by postponing the trip,” Cornelio added.

Rescued passengers said they were not aware the boat was overloaded when it left the port at noon.

“We realized that we were quite many inside the boat but the one in charge, managing the motor, did not say that we were overloaded. They just assigned seats for us around the boat for balance,” Jobel Dimagiba, a 32-year-old rescued passenger told UCA News.

Dimagiba said that many passengers were from Talim Island and were keen on returning home to their families instead of getting stranded due to the typhoon.

A relative of a victim said an investigation should reveal if negligence led to the mishap.

“I just hope they [management of ferry service] do not lie as to the number of passengers they had that day. We don’t know. Maybe they gave money to the officer in charge at the port just to give them the go-ahead signal to cross Laguna Bay,” Christian Noga told UCA News.

Maritime lawyer Lina Jimenez said the ferry service operator needed extraordinary diligence before deciding to sail.

“Common carriers cannot invoke acts of God, or accidents, here. They need to make sure the vessel is seaworthy or they have no negligence on their part.  Overcrowding violates the law,” she said.

Jimenez called for stricter implementation of maritime law especially when it came to corrupting port authorities.

“Let’s face it. These companies think they can be negligent because they can bribe our port authorities,” Jimenez added.

The Archdiocese of Lipa in Batangas province has extended aid to the victims’ families in the form of groceries and financial assistance.  

“This isn’t much, but more than church aid we hope that truth and justice shall prevail,” Archbishop Gilbert Garcera told UCA News.

UCA News tried reaching out to the management and owner of the vessel but they did not respond.