1 dead, 100 rescued in 3rd PH ferry accident in over a week

[Lee]

The article clearly identifies some of the reasons why these accidents keep happening. Either fix the problems or just shut the industry down.

 

Quote

 

ONE person died and more than 100 had to be rescued after a ferry in the central Philippines struck floating debris at sea and took on water Saturday, police said.

The accident involving the King Sto. Nino 7, which was carrying 117 people, was the third to hit the country in just over a week, police said.

All those on board were rescued, except for a female passenger who suffered a heart attack and died during the scramble for safety as water gushed into the wooden-hulled vessel in sunny weather off the island town of Corcuera in Romblon province, officials said.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippines because of frequent storms, poorly maintained boats, overcrowding and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

After some passengers on the King Sto. Nino 7 managed to call for help, coast guard personnel and nearby ferry boats approached to rescue the 112 passengers and five crew members, who were brought to a nearby village, Corcuera police chief Capt. Rosie Galus told The Associated Press by telephone.

The coast guard reported that the boat, which was authorized to carry up to 96 passengers, was carrying only 90, including the woman who died, and five crew members. The differences in the figures reported by the police and coast guard could not immediately be reconciled.

It was not clear what hit the ferry boat but the skipper suspected it may have been a floating piece of log that punched a hole in the wooden hull, said Galus, who talked with the skipper.

In a similar accident on Thursday, a wooden ferry boat struck floating debris at sea and took on water off Polillo island in the northeastern province of Quezon. All 60 passengers and seven crewmen were rescued by other ferry boats and the coast guard, officials said.

Last week, 27 people died when an overcrowded ferry boat flipped over in Laguna de Bay minutes after leaving Binangonan town, southeast of the capital, Manila. Strong winds had lashed the boat, sparking panic among many passengers, who moved to one side of the wooden boat and caused it to turn upside down after its bamboo outriggers broke, the coast guard and police said.

More than 40 other passengers and crew members on the Aya Express were rescued, the coast guard said.

Criminal charges have been filed against the skipper of the Aya Express, his two crewmen, the owner and a coast guard officer who allowed the overloaded ferry to sail.

The skipper, who has been detained, acknowledged that he knew the ferry was over capacity but told authorities he could not convince the excess passengers to disembark, coast guard officials said.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank in Philippine waters after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster.

 

 

In this hadout photo taken on August 5, 2023 and released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), passengers of the ill-fated motorbanca King Sto Nino 7, cling to their half-submerged vessel off Corcuera town, Romblon province. Ted ALJIBE / AFP

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/08/05/news/1-dead-100-rescued-in-3rd-ph-ferry-accident-in-over-a-week/1904123

 

[Mike J]

1 hour ago, Lee said:

The coast guard reported that the boat, which was authorized to carry up to 96 passengers, was carrying only 90, including the woman who died, and five crew members. The differences in the figures reported by the police and coast guard could not immediately be reconciled.

Let me help the investigators reconcile that strange difference.  117 were recused therefore the coast guard report was filled out by someone who lied because he/she was either incompetent, could not count, did not pay attention,  or was bribed. 

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, Mike J said:

Let me help the investigators reconcile that strange difference.  117 were recused therefore the coast guard report was filled out by someone who lied because he/she was either incompetent, could not count, did not pay attention,  or was bribed. 

Probably all 4.

[Possum]

I read a report of an earlier accident resulting in drownings that life jackets were not required for all passengers and crew because the cost was too much for the ferry owners.

[scott h]

On 8/5/2023 at 2:05 PM, Lee said:

Either fix the problems

In my view this is just a symptom of a much larger societal "problem". 

My example is from 25 years ago when a passenger with my brother-in-law made a U turn on a busy street that was posted "no U turns". You all know the type, waited for just enough room to edge his nose in, forcing all other traffic to stop, while he finished his 3 point Y turn. I asked why he thought he could do that. He just smirked and said.........."Democracy in Action!" In other words, "I am doing what I want, and be damned to the rest of you!"

Another example is when the Pope visited years ago. Just before he came here he was in South Korea, millions were in a public square to watch. When he left the crowds left, they left with all their trash. When the Pope and crowds left Rizal square here in Manila, it took something like 19 trash trucks to haul away all the garbage.

In regards to the sinking that took 70 plus lives, there were many things that went wrong, but for me the bottom line is that it was the victims fault. THEY boarded an obviously overloaded boat, THEY were not wearing life jackets (if available) THEY were the ones that placed their own interests ahead of their fellow passengers. Just like my brother-in-Law making a U turn.

 

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, scott h said:

In my view this is just a symptom of a much larger societal "problem". 

My example is from 25 years ago when a passenger with my brother-in-law made a U turn on a busy street that was posted "no U turns". You all know the type, waited for just enough room to edge his nose in, forcing all other traffic to stop, while he finished his 3 point Y turn. I asked why he thought he could do that. He just smirked and said.........."Democracy in Action!" In other words, "I am doing what I want, and be damned to the rest of you!"

Another example is when the Pope visited years ago. Just before he came here he was in South Korea, millions were in a public square to watch. When he left the crowds left, they left with all their trash. When the Pope and crowds left Rizal square here in Manila, it took something like 19 trash trucks to haul away all the garbage.

In regards to the sinking that took 70 plus lives, there were many things that went wrong, but for me the bottom line is that it was the victims fault. THEY boarded an obviously overloaded boat, THEY were not wearing life jackets (if available) THEY were the ones that placed their own interests ahead of their fellow passengers. Just like my brother-in-Law making a U turn.

 

I'm not sure to what extent we can blame the passengers, and just don't equate it with your brother-in-law's actions.  For starters, how would the 1st batch of passengers know the boat was to be overloaded and I'm not sure if it's reasonable to expect them to have gotten off when it became overloaded?  We don't even know if there were any life jackets, and if there were there were likely not enough for every passenger.  

Maybe some personal responsibility can and should be allocated to the passengers, but to blame them totally seems extreme, IMO.

[Snowy79]

I think this is a real accident waiting to happen. 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/246977048143505?mibextid=roAVj8

[Lee]

In related news----------the bananas are probably what sealed the deal. LOL

Boat captain in Binangonan tragedy says he gave bananas, P50 cash to PCG personnel to ignore violations

Quote

 

The boat captain of the ill-fated M/B Aya Express on Tuesday said he "gave" bananas and P50 cash to the personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to ignore his violations.

During a joint Senate hearing of the Committees of Public Services and National Defense and Security, Senator Raffy Tulfo asked boat captain Donald Añain if he bribed anyone from the PCG before they left the port. 

“Magkano ang binigay mo sa Coast Guard na pampadulas noong pumunta ka doon at pinirmahan na lang yung papel na nakapikit?” Tulfo asked.

(How much did you give to the Coast Guard as a bribe for them to sign the paper and turn a blind eye?)

Añain replied, “Yun ano lang, "pampangiti"... Kailangan po magdadala ka po ng kahit alin po…Bumili lang po ako ng P100 na saging… Tsaka yung P50 na money, meryenda.”

(You need to bring them anything. I just bought P100 worth of bananas and P50 cash for snacks.)

Añain also said that "giving items" to PCG personnel is common on the island, such as bread, cigarttes, or liquor.

Before the allegations, PCG commandant Admiral Artemio Abu admitted that there was negligence on the part of their personnel.

""The entire organization is here now, submitting ourselves to this investigation. And attendant circumstances, base sa ating mga (based on our) investigation, proved that there was negligence on the part of our personnel," he said.

According to him, the concerned substation commander and his immediate supervisor have been relieved amid the investigation.

PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said the allegations were absurd.

 

Boat captain in Binangonan tragedy says he gave bananas, P50 cash to PCG personnel to ignore violations (msn.com)

[Jack Peterson]

1 hour ago, Snowy79 said:

I think this is a real accident waiting to happen. 

 In my mind, the whole country is an accident waiting to happen 

[usa32]

Most of these ferry accidents. Are they the newer style ferry's like you got cebu. supercat and oceanjet?  Or are these smaller ferry's in the provinces?