2 glaring violations of gov’t-owned ferry noted

SURIGAO CITY, Philippines—Two glaring violations of Maharlika 2 pertain to the huge discrepancies in its official passenger manifest, as well as the failure of its shipmaster to submit an incident report.

“I don’t want to preempt the investigation, although we can initially point out some violations,” Emmanuel Carpio, director of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) in the Caraga Regiono told Inquirer, adding that Marina investigators had arrived in this city to begin a marine inquiry.

The ferry’s official manifest placed the number of passengers at 58, less than half of the 119 aboard when it sank in choppy waters on Saturday night. Of the number, 110 passengers and crew were rescued, eight bodies were recovered and one missing.

With the ferry’s manifest clouded in doubt, however, the actual number of missing persons could not be independently established as search and rescue officials merely relied on the accounts of survivors and the claims of relatives.

A sister ferry of the ill-fated MV Maharlika 2 has been barred from sailing, raising questions on the seaworthiness of the government-operated fleet.

The MV Maharlika 4 was suspended as of Monday after an initial inquiry found the vessel had poor safety systems and its chief engineer’s license had expired, said Carpio.

DOTC, DPWH owners

The Maharlika 2 is jointly owned by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Carpio said in an interview. Its operator, Philharbor Ferries and Port Services Inc., operated three other interisland vessels, two of which had been sold, and one currently in the dry dock, Carpio said.

Built in 1984 in Mariveles, Bataan province, the Maharlika 2 was 30 years old when it sank off the Surigao-Leyte channel Saturday, the official said.

The roll-on roll-off ship was sailing from Lipata, Surigao province to Liloan, Southern Leyte province, when it encountered steering problems in choppy waters, 11 kilometers northwest of Binit Point, Panaoan Island at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Philippine Navy said in Manila.

Capt. Joseph Coyme of the Philippine Coast Guard identified five of the bodies recovered on Monday as those of Ramon Molato, Betty Bahi, Arlita Puyales, 2-year-old baby girl Tiffany Saberon and Nelson Custodio, who served as marine chief engineer of the ill-fated ferry.

The fatalities were separately recovered by two Philippine Navy littoral ships off Hagakhak Island in Basilisa town, Dinagat Islands province.

Two of the first three recovered bodies on Sunday were identified by local authorities as Rahiman Ismael, 20, and retired army colonel Armando Mosqueda. The third fatality, a female, remains unidentified.

Coyme said two Navy ships, two Coast Guard vessels and a Huey helicopter were involved in the search and retrieval operations.–With a report from Julie M. Aurelio in Manila