MANILA, Philippines -- Malacañang scolded lawmakers on Monday for allegedly sitting on a key piece legislation intended to avoid the overlapping of functions by different maritime authorities and minimize sea tragedies in the process.

Gary Olivar, deputy presidential spokesperson, also told shipping operators to shape up, saying that ensuring the safety and quality of their services should be the ?initiative of the industry.?

The Palace was wondering why Congress had not passed the proposed Philippine Maritime Act of 2009, which would consolidate jurisdiction over the shipping industry into a National Maritime Authority.

?For a bill to be in slumber for two years is a long time,? Olivar said in Filipino in a media briefing.

?If it is really something that deserves to be endorsed as urgent, congressmen should have seen this long ago and passed the bill. So if this bill has merits and if it has been sitting around that long, then this is really something that I think the legislature ought to look into.?

In a text message, Elena Bautista, administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), called on senators in particular to ?fast-track the passage of this bill.?

Bautista said the Senate counterpart bill was still pending with the committee of Sen. Francis Escudero, which supposedly conducted only one hearing on the matter.

?The lower house is ready for plenary (session) already. Senate is a bit slow,? she said in the text message sent to Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, chair of the House committee on transportation who forwarded it to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Olivar said the Palace was in favor of deregulating the shipping industry, arguing that the entry of more players would lead to better services.

?Obviously, if you open up the industry to more investors, to more players, and as a result of that, competition increases and because of competition in particular, the existing players of the industry, their services (will improve) in order to keep up with the new entrants,? he said.

?It will certainly be a welcome effect of deregulation.?

Olivar made it clear that industry players had the ?primary responsibility over the safety and quality of their services.?

?The initiative of the industry would have to come from the participants themselves in terms of rationalizing their particular structure,? he said.

Olivar added: ?We are hopeful for a heightened sense of responsibility in the behavior of the industry players. You know, there have been too many incidents like this (already). Safety is always a paramount (concern).