MANILA, Philippines?Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales Monday weighed in on the finger-pointing that followed the June 21 sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars in the midst of a raging typhoon.

?Of course, rain, earthquake, typhoons are definitely acts of God but sailing right into the heart of the storm is not an act of God, it?s an act of a stupid person,? Rosales said.

With its disastrous maritime record, Sulpicio Lines, the company that owned the capsized ferry, should not be in the shipping business, Rosales told reporters after saying Mass at the Manila Cathedral.

For a company that serves the public, Sulpicio Lines had been involved in too many deaths, as evidenced by its record, Rosales said.

Sulpicio Lines also owned the MV Doña Paz, which collided with a tanker on its way to Manila in December 1987, leaving over 4,000 dead in the world?s worst peacetime maritime disaster.

The company also operated the MV Doña Marilyn, which sank in 1988, and the MV Princess of the Orient, which went under in 1998. The combined death toll in the two disasters was 400.

Sulpicio files suit vs PAGASA

?There is something wrong in that institution,? Rosales said.

Sulpicio Lines told a Board of Marine inquiry last week that the tragedy that befell the Princess of the Stars was an ?act of God.?

On Monday, Sulpicio Lines filed a P4.5-million damage suit in the Manila Regional Trial Court against officials of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for the June 21 disaster, citing ?inexcusable neglect of duty and gross incompetence.?

Edgar Go, the company?s vice president, claimed that PAGASA?s failure to immediately update its weather bulletin that Typhoon ?Frank? (international codename: Fengshen) had changed its course caused the vessel to sail in the eye of the storm and capsize.

The Senate has announced it would conduct an inquiry into the disaster.

Revocation

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile Monday told reporters he would support a revocation of Sulpicio?s franchise if the House of Representatives favored this. The House will start its separate probe into the sinking on July 7.

?They don?t deserve to continue. If it happened just once, it?s an accident. But in a series of accidents like that, ships sinking in the middle of the ocean, they should have been shut down a long time ago,? said Enrile, chair of the Senate committee on public services.

Sen. Manuel Roxas II also questioned the Maritime Industry Authority for failing to require Sulpicio Lines and other shipping operators from getting a more comprehensive insurance coverage that would pay for damages to passengers and cargo as well as the quick salvaging of a shipwreck.