Palace: Sulpicio doing everything to divert public attention

MANILA, Philippines – Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI), owners of the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars that claimed hundreds of lives when it capsized off Romblon during a typhoon last month, initiated the filing of cases against government agencies and investigative bodies in an effort to deflect public attention from them, Malacañang said yesterday.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the slew of cases filed by SLI is part of the company’s legal strategy to divert public opinion.

Ermita said SLI has been feeling the pressure from various sectors and the shipping firm’s legal team has been tasked to find ways to take the heat off of their clients.

“Sulpicio has been badly beaten up. In order to get some relief from their legal problems, that’s what their lawyers did. They (lawyers) look at it as a legal strategy,” he said.

Ermita said SLI has been blamed by various fronts for the tragedy but had the temerity to blame other government agencies and personalities for the loss of their ship.

He said the cases filed by SLI accusing government agencies and personalities of gross ignorance and neglect were made “in order to deflect the attention to something else.”

SLI had accused the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) of violating the rules of investigation into the tragedy and lodged a complaint before the Manila regional trial court questioning the validity and jurisdiction of the probe body. It also asked for a temporary restraining order on the investigation.

SLI also accused the two ranking members of the probe body of being biased against the shipping company.

The allegations prompted retired Rear Admiral Benjamin Mata, BMI vice chairman, and retired Capt. Amado Romillo to inhibit themselves to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

Sulpicio went on to present yesterday expert witnesses from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to bolster their claims that the BMI has no jurisdiction to investigate the incident.

SLI argued Marina is the proper agency that should conduct the investigation.

Earlier, SLI filed a complaint against the state weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) accusing it of issuing unreliable and erratic weather bulletins that led to the sea tragedy.

The SLI filed an amended complaint yesterday, including Pagasa director Prisco Nilo and Nathaniel Cruz, weather services chief, as principal respondents in the case.

SLI accused the two senior state weather forecasters of committing gross negligence and gross dereliction of duty for issuing erroneous weather bulletins.

The government ordered all SLI vessels grounded following the tragedy of Princess of the Stars.

More than 800 passengers were on board the ferry and most have been presumed dead, but not all the bodies have been recovered.

The ill-fated ship was also found to be carrying large quantities of toxic pesticides, which complicated the search and retrieval operations for the bodies of victims still trapped in the sunken ship.

SLI also filed a P5.5-million damage suit against Del Monte Philippines Inc. for its alleged failure to disclose the contents of its cargo.

SLI said Del Monte violated its contractual and legal obligation of fully disclosing the toxic character of the shipment.

Del Monte, on the other hand, claimed the 40-foot container van loaded on board the Princess of the Stars was properly labeled with sufficient markings showing that the cargo should be handled carefully.

Del Monte officials showed the container van containing the toxic pesticide endosulfan was properly labeled on all sides.

There was an “X” superimposed over a symbol of a fish under which are the words, “marine pollutant” and the number 2761, the number assigned by the UN Committee on Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, meaning the cargo is classified as “organochlorine pesticide, solid and toxic.”

Del Monte lawyers also presented before the BMI the bill of lading stating the cargo is “organochlorine pesticide, solid and toxic, and a marine pollutant.”

Del Monte said they have been importing the pesticide from Israel since 2002 and have always followed the same procedure.

This was the first time that they have entrusted SLI to transport endosulfan from Manila to Cagayan de Oro. In the past, they have availed of the services of Magsaysay Shipping Lines, Del Monte said.

On the other hand, Ermita and other Cabinet officials in Malacañang discussed the legal implications of the move by SLI.

 Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. agreed with Ermita.

Andaya, a lawyer by profession, said SLI’s move does not remove their legal liability as the owner of the ferry.

Both Ermita and Andaya argued that the government should not shoulder the costs of recovering the ferry and the container van of toxic pesticides in the sunken vessel.

“Is it proper for the government to spend for the refloating (of the ferry)? As of this time, it is the concern of the owner to refloat it,” Ermita said.

Ermita said Malacañang does not intend to do anything about the legal aspects and would just wait for the results of all the investigations.

The sinking of Princess of the Stars prompted the government to review maritime safety rules, even as other sectors are blaming SLI for ignoring safety measures and typhoon alerts.

Angry and grieving relatives of those who perished have accused SLI of ignoring their plight and announced their plans to file a class action suit.

SLI has had at least three other major accidents since 1987, when its Doña Paz vessel collided with an oil tanker, killing around 4,000 people in the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history. – With Sandy Araneta, Evelyn Macairan, Mayen Jaymalin