PGMA's Press Statement on Accidents at Sea

Heroes Hall, Malacanang (02 June 2003)
The sinking of the MV San Nicolas, which caused the death of many of its passengers, was only the latest deadly accident involving passenger ships traversing our seas. As the painful stories of this tragedy move out of our front pages and headlines, we must dedicate ourselves to doing more to prevent similar accidents in the future. We will not allow our attention on other concerns to distract us from what we must do to improve maritime safety.

Inter-island travel by ship is a mode of transport favored by poor Filipinos. Maritime accidents disproportionately afflict the poor. Maritime safety, therefore, is an issue important to the welfare of our poorer citizens.

As the country that provides ships all over the world with thousands of Filipino seamen, the Philippines can't allow recurrence of maritime accidents at our home seas to erode our well-earned reputation for competent seafaring abroad. Lives of the poor and livelihoods of many Filipinos are at stake in maritime safety.

I've issued additional instructions to move ahead with other steps that could prevent future accidents at our seas.

I reiterate my 15-day deadline for the completion of the marine investigation into the MV San Nicolas accident. I expect to receive the findings and recommendations on June 9, upon my return from South Korea and Japan.

Even without the investigation results, however, I've asked DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza to undertake the following:

1. Prepare a policy recommendation governing the continued use of wooden-hulled vessels as passenger ships, including rules and regulations on classification implementation for passenger ships, particularly wooden-hulled ships. The MV San Nicolas was a wooden-hulled ship ferrying passengers from Palawan to Manila during stormy weather;

2. Organize a performance and capability assessment of the Philippine Coast Guard relative to this agency's functions of enforcing maritime safety standards and overloading rules, and undertaking rescue operations in sea accidents. We have to identify the most immediate, affordable and cost-effective measures to enable the coast guard to significantly reduce risks of accidents at sea and fatalities from these accidents;

3. Draft measures to improve safety in narrow inter-island passages and areas with heavy sea traffic where most accidents occur. Consideration should be given to delineating sea-lanes and implementing better monitoring and communications systems in these areas;

4. Submit recommendations on structural, functional, and personnel changes to improve the coordination and effectiveness of both marina and the coast guard in assuring our people access to safe, affordable and convenient sea travel;

5. Formulate a program of random drug and alcohol testing of shipping crews and officers, particularly those manning passenger vehicles;

6. Convene a task force for maritime safety that would include representation from government, shipping industry, maritime schools and other stakeholders. This task force shall formulate recommendations that I shall consider for inclusion among my legislative and executive priorities traditionally announced as part of the State of the Nation Address in July. I'd like to see a non-negotiable level of provisions and standards that assure minimum safety at sea. Government shall require private shipping industry to comply with such standards, and shall provide assistance necessary for them to comply.

I've also instructed the Professional Regulation Commission to review the standards and implementation of training and licensing rules and regulations governing seamen and maritime professionals manning domestic ships. Smaller vessels like the MV San Nicolas are commanded by "major patrons" who don't have the formal training necessary to secure a license. There's a need to review their basic competence despite the absence of a license. There's also a need to eliminate further doubts about fraud attending the licensing of seamen and maritime professionals.

I expect to regularly update our people on the progress of these instructions. I will not allow the inexorable march of events to leave the issue of maritime safety behind. I'm determined to make my administration the point to end the long chain of deadly sea accidents that has marked inter island shipping in our country.

I've decided to turn my utter grief over the deaths of so many Filipinos in the accident last week into firm determination to do what must be done to prevent future deaths at sea.

Thank you.

[HOME]