Marina chief travels abroad every week - lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines - This government official is truly a jetsetter: she travels abroad every week, if Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza’s facts are accurate.

In a privilege speech on Monday night, Plaza told his colleagues that Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Elena Bautista has gone abroad “77 times in the 18 months that she has been in office, or an average of 4.8 trips a month.”

In contrast, Plaza said President Arroyo, in her nine years in office, traveled abroad only 80 times.

He alleged instead of making sure that sea travel is safe, Bautista spends a lot of time vacationing in Europe and Africa.

A total of 17 sea accidents resulting in the death of hundreds of passengers have happened during her short stewardship of Marina, he said, adding that Bautista was out of the country when many of those accidents occurred.

“When Superferry 9 sank on Sept. 6, 2009, Madame Elena was touring France, Italy and Dubai. She was also abroad on Nov. 4, 2008 when Don Dexter Katlyn capsized in freak winds off the coast of Masbate and 42 died,” Plaza said.

He said Bautista spent 22 days vacationing in Europe and Dubai in September. She also went to Belgium, United Kingdom and Switzerland, he said.

He added that he has documents from Marina and the Bureau of Immigration to support his revelations about the Marina chief’s frequent trips abroad.

“Even as I speak today before you, Madame Elena is still in London, overstaying her travel authority that is good only up to Jan. 15,” he told his colleagues.

He reminded Bautista that she promised to resign in the aftermath of the Superferry 9 sinking in September if another sea accident happened.

She’s still clinging to her post despite the sinking of MV Baleno and the collision of MV Catalyn B and Anatalia last month, he said.

He pointed out that despite the tragedies that occurred since she assumed office, the Marina chief refuses to take responsibility and does not show concern for the safety of sea travelers.

“It angers me, my dear colleagues, that Ms. Bautista is a picture of calm and poise and of cosmopolitan leanings while thousands of Filipinos die en route to their eagerly-awaited reunions with their families and friends,” he said.

“Elena Bautista is without compassion for our people and genuine concern for our maritime industry… let us send off to the last leg of her odyssey and make her time zones away permanently from public service in this country,” he said.

Bautista, on the other hand, said in a statement that she made only 14 trips to London in the past four years.

“The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is located in the United Kingdom and the Philippines, as a maritime nation, needs to participate in relevant maritime meetings,” she said.

These travels, according to Bautista, resulted in “various benefits” to the country, such as the election of the Philippines to the IMO Council, Category C; the removal of the entire Davao Gulf and its ship lay-up anchorage sites from the listed war risk area of the hull war, strikes, terrorism and related perils of the joint war committee of Lloyd’s of London; technical cooperation programs that allowed free attendance to IMO seminars and lectures for Marina technical staff; chairmanship of the Philippines in the maritime safety committee; and the successful conduct of the IMO voluntary audit scheme.

She said after eight years of working in the government, Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza authorized her to go on a “well-deserved vacation” to Dubai, Rome, Paris, Prague and Budapest, but her vacation was aborted due to the sinking of the Superferry 9.

Bautista requested Plaza to “verify facts before making any press releases.” She said she “refuses to be used as a subject to enhance anyone’s election bid.” – With Rainier Allan Ronda