EU to send experts to probe toxic chemicals on sunken ship

MANILA, Philippines – The European Union is sending a group of experts to investigate toxic chemicals on board the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars which sank carrying more than 850 people, the French government announced yesterday.

Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said the foreign and European affairs ministries have agreed that an EU “mission of expertise and support” should be sent immediately, a statement said. France currently holds the presidency of the European Union.

The EU mission would include experts on sea pollution and chemical risks, the French statement said.

The Princess of the Stars remains stricken off Sibuyan Island in Romblon after sinking in a typhoon on June 21. The upturned wreckage is thought to contain hundreds of bodies along with an illegal consignment of endosulfan, a toxic pesticide.

While tests showed waters have not been contaminated with the pesticide, there was concern the containers could corrode, allowing the chemical to leach and contaminate the area.

Officials said the ferry would be refloated, ditching a bid to use divers to retrieve the bodies and chemicals.

“The potential danger to marine life is a major factor in the decision” to refloat the vessel, a Coast Guard biologist said.

The presence of the cargo of pesticide complicated the retrieval operations of bodies still trapped under the sunken ship.

The slow recovery of bodies has angered relatives who have trooped to the offices of Sulpicio Lines in Manila and Cebu City waiting for word of their loved ones.

Some relatives of the victims of the tragedy are planning to start their own search.

The group led by Larry Montecalvo, who is looking for his cousin who was among those listed missing, announced they would proceed to Romblon and other islets to do their own search.

Montecalvo said they could no longer wait for the DNA test results on the retrieved bodies, stressing their anxiety of waiting for any information regarding their loved ones.

Montecalvo formed a group to take the initiative of proceeding to the site to identify the bodies that were retrieved.

Montecalvo made the announcement as the International Police trained policemen and civilian medical professionals in extracting DNA samples from the relatives of the victims.

The samples will be taken to Cebu and matched with the 172 bodies that have been retrieved.

Officials have prevented relatives to view the bodies for health reasons since most of the cadavers are already decaying and beyond recognition.

Montecalvo, on the other hand, said their group would proceed to Masbate next week after DNA samples are taken from them.

Some of the bodies that have been retrieved were washed ashore as far as the Bicol region.

Five more bodies were retrieved yesterday in Legazpi City, officials said.

Last Sunday, at least 26 bodies were ferried to Cebu after they were retrieved off Burias Island and Camarines Sur. Six more were retrieved by fishermen in Pilar, Sorsogon.

The sinking of Princess of the Stars forced the government to review maritime safety rules with the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) conducting the investigation to determine what went wrong and who should be held responsible for the tragedy.

President Arroyo reiterated her demand to find out immediately who was responsible for the disaster, ordering the Coast Guard, as head of the BMI, to complete its investigation and submit its findings and recommendations within 15 days.

‘Give us more time’

The BMI, however, is proposing to the President to extend the 15-day deadline to wrap up its probe.

“We are doing our best to comply with the orders of the President. We are conducting the hearing almost every day... But despite our efforts we probably (need) a little more time,” BMI chairman Rear Admiral Ramon Liwag said.

Liwag stressed the need to secure the testimonies of critical witnesses, including the survivors of the tragedy.

Liwag said they might send a letter to Malacañang to formalize their request for an extension.

He said the BMI would wrap up its investigation and submit its findings to Mrs. Arroyo ahead of her State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28.

“We would be needing some time to comply really, but it would not take very long. With best efforts, I think we can come out with credible findings,” Liwag said.

Liwag cited the need to hear the testimonies of some of the crewmembers who survived the sinking.

He said the BMI is now conducting marathon hearings on the issue, even on weekends.

At the same time, Liwag appealed to the survivors to come forward and testify before the board.

He said the BMI needs at least 10 to 15 testimonies from survivor passengers.

Liwag said they are proposing to the Coast Guard to ferry the witnesses to Manila and shoulder the expenses.

Since almost all of the passenger survivors have gone home, Liwag they are planning to hold the hearings in Cebu by next week.

He added the next three days of the investigation is critical.

“We might be the ones to go to Cebu,” BMI vice chairman Real Admiral Benjamin Mata added.

“We want to be thorough in our investigation but time is what we lack. It is difficult to release findings that are half-baked especially since the whole world is watching how we would resolve this matter. The reputation of the country and the BMI is at stake here,” he said.

In the eye of the storm

The BMI yesterday heard the testimonies of the three remaining survivor crewmembers of the ship, detailing the last few moments before the tragedy.

The BMI particularly noted the testimonies of messmen Ciriaco Nuñez and Estanislao Tura Jr., and cook Roel Libot, who all claimed the seas had been rough until “it became sunny and the water was calm.”

“The passengers thought everything was okay. The passengers were happy,” Nuñez said.

But the good weather only lasted for about 10 to 20 minutes as the rough weather returned, Nuñez said.

Strong winds and waves were hitting the starboard or right side of the ship, pushing the ferry to tilt portside or left side. Moments later, there was an announcement that they should abandon ship, he said.

Mata said Nuñez’s testimony bolstered their initial suspicion that the ship sailed directly into the eye of the storm. – Evelyn Macairan, Cet Dematera