Slow probe
Philippine StarA week after the ferry Blue Water Princess sank off the coast of Quezon, maritime authorities will finally start their investigation of the accident, which left at least 11 people dead. Authorities said they preferred to focus on rescue operations first before starting the investigation. The other day, as President Arroyo reprimanded the Maritime Industry Authority for the slow probe, authorities announced that the investigation would finally start this week. As of yesterday there were several statements to the press from maritime authorities but still no probe.
The investigation could end up as a mere formality since Philippine Coast Guard authorities had earlier said the ferry, owned by AC-Joy Express Liner and operated by Blue Magic Ferries, was not overloaded and appeared to have complied with maritime safety standards. The Board of Marine Inquiry has been ordered to submit a report within five weeks.
Even slower than the investigation of maritime disasters are the reforms needed to make maritime transportation safe. In an archipelago of over 7,100 islands, where many areas are accessible to ordinary folk only through ferries and outriggers, the safety of maritime transportation should be high on the list of government priorities. But despite numerous accidents in the past decades, one of which is considered the worst peacetime maritime disaster in the world, reforms in the maritime industry have been slow.
One of the reasons has to be the failure of successive administrations to make people account for negligence. Despite numerous accidents wherein the identities of victims could not be determined because passengers were not listed in manifests, basic regulations on keeping accurate ship manifests continue to be ignored. Cargo is improperly stowed, crewmembers lack requisite qualifications, and ships ignore warnings against sailing during foul weather. Even when ships sink, sending scores of people to their deaths, negligence — on the part of both ship owners and maritime authorities — is rarely penalized. People know they can get away with violating maritime safety rules. The reluctance to enforce those rules is evident even in the investigation of fatal maritime accidents.
