Coast Guard order leads to queues, ferry delays

A new Coast Guard order requiring passengers of Metro Ferry to log in their names to the boat manifest before boarding the boat has resulted in long queues and delays in the departure of the boat.

Petty Officer 2 Dindo Sabanal, duty officer of the Philippine Coast Guard, yesterday said that they were implementing the order for the safety of everybody.

Sabanal’s appeal for understanding came after several ferry boat passengers complained of the vessel departure delays caused by the implementation of the order.

“We hope people will bear with us, it would be better if they come to the port early as there are new policies that passengers should register to the manifest,” Sabanal said.

The order issued by Philippine Coast Guard Central Eastern Visayas chief Cecil R. Chen was implemented since last month.

Commodore Chen’s order came after the recent sea accidents such as a fastcraft catching fire and later sinking off the Talisay City area.

Sabanal said regardless of the distance, the passengers should comply with the order.

Sabanal was referring to the Metro Ferry route which would take only at least 30 minutes to reach from Lapu-Lapu wharf to the Cebu City Pier 3 terminal.

Last Sunday, the requirement to register the passenger’s names in the boat manifest caused a long queue of some 100 passengers and about an hour’s delay of the departure of the ferry boat from the Muelle Osemeña wharf in Lapu-Lapu City.

The first trip which was supposed to leave at 6 a.m. left at 7 a.m. because there wasn’t a Coast Guard officer to approve the departure causing the delay.

Fidel Ramas, 16, student of the Cebu Technological University (CTU) and a regular ferry boat passenger, said he would have to get used to queuing to register in the manifest before boarding the ferry boat.

Faye Montañez, 22, sales attendant in Cebu City, said passengers would have to endure the rains and heat of the sun as they would wait for their turn to log in their names on the manifest.

Montanez said Sunday’s queue reached the entrance of the Virgen of the Rule church, which was about 100 meters away from the wharf.

Metro Ferry Port supervisor Ricardo Asuncion however couldn’t be reached for comment since he was unavailable as of press time. /Norman Mendoza, Correspondent