SuperFerry 14 fire not a terrorist attack

A security man has downplayed the possibility of a terrorist attack in the Feb. 27 fire aboard the SuperFerry 14 where 29 passengers died and 90 others remain missing.

Testifying before the Special Board of Marine Inquiry yesterday, Bonifacio Puno Jr., 26, said each passenger was frisked, bags opened and searched, and their packages checked with metal detectors before they were allowed on board the ill-fated ship.

"(I am) 101 percent certain that no explosive, ammunition, firearm and the like could have (been) sneaked inside the vessel," he said.

However, he failed to impress members of the 10-man inquiry board when he insisted that firearms, ammunition and explosives cannot be brought on the ship even with proper papers.

Lamberto Pia, board vice chairman, told him that passengers are allowed by law to carry properly-documented ammunition.

On the other hand, Lucibar Sumagaysay, an engineer on the SuperFerry 14, said there was a gas pipeline in the ceiling of the tourist area of the ship where survivors reported hearing an explosion.

However, Sumagaysay said he had no idea what caused the explosion that survivors heard immediately before the ship caught fire.

Sumagaysay said the ship’s supposedly automatic water sprinkler was not activated by smoke billowing from the tourist area because it had to be operated from the engine room.

He personally supervised his men in checking the ship’s engine and changing oil at the port side, Sumagaysay added.

Lt. Cmdr. Ramon Reblora, a member of the inquiry board, said they will not take at face value the testimonies of the witnesses.

The board will assess if the accounts of the survivors will corroborate the testimonies of the crewmen of SuperFerry 14, he added.

Rear Adm. Danilo Abinoja, chairman of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry, said they will wrap up the investigation after seven days of hearing.

All persons whose testimony is needed in the investigation will be summoned, he added.–Cecille Suerte Felipe