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 And this is Not the First Time - Passenger ferries capsizing in the Philippines is not uncommon, and this is an unfortunate truth.
Aside from poor decision making skills with regards to pursuing or pausing due to bad weather, poor quality of boats and safety equipments, and worse, lacking safety equipments, casualties are frequently expected during disasters.
They have all the recipe for a disaster. Frequent bad weather, pursuing on trips even with knowledge of bad weather, and worse, overfilling boats from their capacity by not adding those names in the manifest. Nothing good can be expected when all the risks are taken.
What's worse, the boat contained pesticides, and hid the information from divers who are trying to help rescue passengers. More casualties can be expected from such negligence.
Villagers ride small boats to take a close look at the capsized ferry MV Princess of the Stars with its overturned bow protruding from the waters off Sibuyan island located in central Philippines on June 25, 2008. The 24,000 ton vessel was caught in the path of Typhoon Fengshen on June 21and sank carrying more than 850 passengers and crew while only 57 people made it out alive, making it one of the worst maritime disasters in the Southeast Asian country's history. Divers June 26 prepared to smash their way into a stricken Philippine ferry containing hundreds of bodies as officials warned it may take a month to recover the corpses with just three pulled out so far.
Could such gross negligence ever be accepted? Could it be pardoned? Everything shows proof that the operator has been grossly negligent in the name of higher returns, when business can be pursued and profitable with legal means. These operators have dwelled into the unthinkable, which is the willingness to risk human lives in the name of profit.
Unfortunately, this will never end in the Philippines. The operator will be allowed to resume again later on, and will not revise anything to improve safety. Media will quiet down here, and it will all look as if nothing happened in the first place.
If any positive change has to happen, it has to be that people here voice out their frustrations as well. The moment the ferries are allowed to venture forth again, protest has to happen. This is the only way further disasters can ever be prevented.
Photo from Getty Images by AFP/Getty Images - Image Provided by DayLife |
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