Many are saddened by the state of things at government-owned network RPN 9. What used to be the country’s number one station is now just a decaying, sequestered network which had recently seen some failed attempts at getting itself privatized.
More than the frustration of being left in purgatory for the longest time, however, employees are reportedly raising hell against the station’s general manager Mia Concio. Mia, daughter of Lupita (now Kashiwahara), who in turn directs President Arroyo in her Malacañang-produced TV shows, is presently at the center of a nasty quit campaign. Supervisors, directors, managers, talents, and other employees have lately been seen wearing ribbons screaming “Mia Quit!” The same ornaments also carry the words “Harry Out,” this time referring to Concio’s recent recruit, executive assistant Harry Tambuatco — another TV greenhorn.
With these two — both inexperienced as far as broadcasting is concerned — running the station, it comes as no surprise why RPN 9 is lagging so far behind both on its on-air performance as well as on administration.
Employees are said to be lamenting about the non-delivery of their benefits, delayed talent fees, and poor working conditions. To the dismay, even of some RPN on-camera talents — Concio’s Tambuatco has put his face on camera at the expense of some homegrown RPN talents.
Tambuatco reportedly got himself a show called “Insight Inside” by kicking out former hosts Dodie Lacuna and Marigold Haber who have both been with the station for decades. Sourly reacting to people seen wearing the controversial ribbon, Tambuatco threatened not to show up ever again in his program unless the ribbons are taken out. But insiders say he found the studio lights too hard to resist as he continues to host the program to this day.
Another case in point is talented host Mr. Fu, who is to be the station’s only homegrown “star.” All his shows proved to be short-lived and have been taken out of the air to accommodate political choices such as Tambuatco.
People’s action is actually not new to Concio. As former Channel 4 news manager, she was taken out of her former position after NBN 4 employees petitioned for her removal. They succeeded there. Now in her new home, Concio is again facing the same kind of opposition for the same kind of complaint.
Probably having learned her lesson, Concio reportedly did not take the matter sitting down. In fact, she is said to have allowed one of her managers to spend P10,000 to wine and dine the employees and for them to remove their ribbons. Funny thing is, the manager’s TV crew got so drunk even before he coud deliver his sales pitch for Mia.
Clear case of negligence?
If President Arroyo is really serious about improving the state of sea transportation, then it is about time that the issue of maritime safety be placed on top of her priority list. The United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) has been calling on the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to conduct periodic inspections of all domestic vessels, in a bid to minimize if not put to an end maritime disasters.
UFS president Nelson Ramirez says that more than just ocular inspections on the safety components of domestic passenger ships, MARINA and PCG should conduct emergency and machinery readiness evaluations as well as require plan maintenance of all vessels‑plying the domestic trade. Ramirez says the inspections should also focus on whether local passenger-cargo ships have the appropriate lashings to avoid unnecessary rolling of cargos during voyage.
MARINA and PCG should also check whether local vessels have the right provisions for cargo lashings such as pad eyes, wire slings, and turnbuckles. Cargo lashings or the lack of it was the main culprit in the sinking of Sulpicio Lines’ Princess of the Orient years before.
While MARINA and PCG immediately acted on the call then, the effort to conduct periodic inspections of domestic vessels was short-lived and before anyone knew it, a series of maritime disasters once again hit the country one after the other this year beginning with the all-too notorious engine blast on board yet another Gothong Lines’ vessel, MV Butuan Bay, last May 15.
Less than a month after the MV Butuan Bay explosion, MV Catalyn of San Nicholas Lines caught fire off Mindoro that resulted in the death of five passengers including a five-year-old girl, while the vessel was bound for Palawan from the North Harbor in Manila.
The fire on board the MV Catalyn began on the vessel’s cargo hold and practically razed the entire ship prompting the entire crew and passengers to abandon the ship, another indication that the vessel as well as its crew lacked emergency readiness skills, according to Ramirez.
UFS is also calling for a mandatory insurance policy on all passengers of domestic vessel, so that victims will not be left fending for themselves. Less than three weeks after the MV Catalyn incident, Sulpicio Lines’ Princess of the Ocean joined the infamous list, when it got stalled in the Visayan waters for more than half a day due to an alleged mechanical problem which resulted to its engine conking out while it was in the middle of its Cagayan de Oro-Cebu voyage and carrying 445 passengers.
The lack of electricity on board also added to the passengers’ miseries. This is a case of a vessel having no plan maintenance, says Ramirez. Two weeks after the MV Princess of the Ocean incident, MV Blue Water Princess sank off Quezon province while bound for Masbate. Four people died and about 18 more were missing from the total of 28 people on board the ill-fated ship.
Why these vessels pass seaworthiness class inspections and are allowed to operate is something worth looking into. Why MARINA and PCG are not making the concerned local shipowners answerable for their misgivings is something that should alert the President on possible failure or even refusal by some government officials to do their job.
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