Navy, fire probers differ on yacht fire cause

BATANGAS CITY — Faulty electrical wiring or arson?

Although the investigation is still ongoing, the Philippine Navy and the Batangas fire department are giving conflicting theories on what could have caused the 10-minute fire that hit the presidential yacht Ang Pangulo last Saturday morning while being repaired at the Keppel dry dock in Bauan town.

In a statement, the Navy said a faulty electrical wiring might have caused the blaze, which caused injuries to a Navy officer and three enlisted men.

But Inspector Von Ferdinand Nicasio, operations chief of the Batangas fire department, said they were not discounting the possibility of arson "since the busted pressure gauge was so thick that normal wear and tear could not have destroyed it."

Asked if fire probers were able to find any evidence of explosives, Nicasio said, "Hindi na kasi itinaboy na kami ng mga Navy personnel na para bang may itinatago sila (We did not because the Navy personnel drove us away as if they were hiding something)."

But Capt. Geronimo Malabanan, Navy spokesman, ruled out any sabotage in the incident.

In a statement, the Navy’s public information office said the presidential yacht sustained minor damage due to the fire. The yacht’s VIP and other rooms were intact.

The Navy cited an initial report from Commander Gaudencio Collado Jr., commander of Ang Pangulo, that the generator and watertight watchers first noticed the smoke near the access door of the main and auxiliary engine rooms.

Collado said the watchers immediately tried to combat the fire using fire extinguishers. The ship’s other crewmen and the shipyard’s safety personnel also responded and helped contain the fire.

Nicasio, however, said the fire could not have started at the engine room because he found a busted fuel pressure gauge at the second floor auxiliary room.

"Paano magkakasunog doon sa main engine room eh hindi naman umaandar ang machine at hindi magkakaroon ng electrical short circuit dahil naka-off ang power lines (How could the fire start at the main engine room if the machine was not running, and how could there be electrical short circuit if the power lines were turned off)?" he said.

The repair of the presidential yacht started last November and was initially expected to be finished next month.