Sinking Republic

Today is the 40th day of the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars, a maritime tragedy that led to the death of about 800 passengers. An unknown number of bodies remain stuck inside the ship, along with several toxic cargoes, and the ship is still visible just a few meters off the shorelines of Sibuyan Island, its hull sticking out of the funereal, otherworldly calmness of the sea. For several weeks now, our office has been participating in the congressional inquiry on the disaster.

If the congressional inquiry has led to anything, it is this: a tragedy of that magnitude couldn’t have been an act of God or fate. Ignore the grandstanding of legislators who could only think in terms of soundbites. Some questions that were raised during the hearing actually point to the root of the disaster, and they tell us that the archipelago is actually littered with floating coffins.

For instance, why are roll-on, roll-off (Ro-ro) ships like the MV Princess of the Stars being used in the Philippines when in fact they are not suitable for open seas? Evidence points to the fact that Ro-ros are among the most dangerous ships to use for navigation. They are strictly regulated in other countries: they can’t sail for more than 10 miles, are only allowed to sail in inland waters, and only if they are near the shoreline. It is not appropriate for the wave height of open seas even under normal weather, so just imagine how difficult it was to steer MV Princess of the Stars when it was already in the middle of the storm. Compared to other types of sea vessels, Ro-ros sink fast because of its design; survivors of the recent tragedy all said that the ship sank fifteen minutes after the ship’s master issued his abandon call.