PCG files charges vs owner of boat which ferried Koreans

The owner of the motorized banca that capsized off Batangas Saturday while trying to ferry 23 South Koreans across rough waters from Puerto Galera in Mindoro will be charged in court for the death of two South Koreans.

Coast Guard commandant Vice Adm. Reuben Lista said Ricardo Garcia, owner of the ill-fated M/B April Boy, will be charged with negligence resulting in multiple homicide.

"He was the owner and therefore responsible for the incident," he said. "He would like to file charges against his crew but he would be the principal."

Lista said Garcia and the banca’s crewmen defied a Coast Guard ban on small vessels sailing out Saturday because the southwest monsoon was blowing strong winds and dumping heavy rains.

"We would continue until tonight (last night)," he said. "If we do not find them, we would start looking at the shores since they may have drifted there."

However, the Coast Guard has yet to identify the three crewmen of April Boy , Lista added.

The two South Koreans died and three others went missing after the April Boy overturned in high waves Saturday as the boat was trying to reach Mabini, Batangas.

The South Korean embassy in Manila has asked the government’s help for the immediate recovery of the bodies of the missing Koreans.

Yong Soo-lee, South Korean embassy first secretary and spokesman, said the families of the three missing South Koreans are coming to the country to get information about the accident.

"We want the Philippine government to recover the three (South) Koreans missing in the incident," he said.

Yong said the embassy has already sent a representative to Batangas to coordinate with authorities in the search for the three missing bodies.

In Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Galera Mayor Aristeo Atienza blamed yesterday Romeo Gagui, regional director of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), for the tragedy.

"(The accident) could have been prevented if Director Gagui has supported the one-entry/one-exit policy of the Balatero Pier and refrained from issuing personalized passenger service franchise to beach resort owners," he said.

Atienza said the Puerto Galera Sangginiang Bayan issued a resolution last March 25 requesting the Marina to order all sea vessels plying between Puerto Galera and Batangas to use the Balatero Pier as entry and exit points.

"In the case of the (South) Koreans who slipped out of Puerto Galera in spite of the Coast Guard’s ban to travel, they couldn’t leave the port without the Coast Guard noticing them if there’s only one exit point," he said.

However, Gagui told The STAR yesterday he cannot accept the idea that the Balatera Port should be the entry and exit points for Puerto Galera.

"Our main concern is the safety and convenience of the traveling public," he said. "With the existing layout of the Balatero Pier, it is impossible to accommodate a large number of vessels at the same time. Now, the total number of registered vessels are numbering around 74 to 84. How can you accommodate that?"–Jose Aravilla, Pia Lee-Brago, Arnell Ozaeta, AP