PCG expects report on retrieval of ferry bodies

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it has given Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) until this week to submit its completion report on the recovery of 199 bodies from the capsized M/V Princess of the Stars.

PCG commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said, “I am still waiting for the report. I made it clear that it should be submitted ASAP (as soon as possible).”

PCG Commander Allan de la Vega, deputy chief of the Coast Guard Staff for Maritime Safety Service, said he has relayed Tamayo’s instruction to the salvaging firm Harbor Star.

“I relayed the message last Tuesday evening… We have to give them time because there is a format that they should follow in making the report. The PCG oversees the salvaging operations,” De la Vega said.

But he admitted that even if Harbor Star meets the deadline, there is no guarantee that they would start the third phase, or the removal of the wreck, next week. “They still have to conduct survey dives,” he said.

Last Monday, SLI vice president for marketing Jordan Go said the divers of Harbor Star could no longer find any bodies of passengers and crewmen who were trapped when the 23,000-gross-ton vessel capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon last June.

The retrieval of the bodies, comprising the second phase, took at least 16 days.

The 199 bodies were recovered from Decks A (passenger suite), B (cabin and crew accommodation), and C (economy section).

There has been no announcement yet as to when the Task Force on Princess of the Stars (TF-POTS), chaired by Undersecretary for Maritime Transport Ma. Elena Bautista, would convene to discuss the final phase, or the removal of the sunken ship from Romblon waters, as it poses a navigational hazard.

Once the three phases are completed, Tamayo said the next step is to put up a marker in memory of the passengers and crewmen of M/V Princess of the Stars who died or are still missing.

“We will still talk to the local officials in Romblon such as Rep. Eleandro Madrona and San Fernando town Mayor Nanette Tansingco and finalize plans of putting up a memorial or marker,” he said.

While the memorial would most likely be made of marble which is abundant in Romblon, Tamayo said they still have to discuss where it would be installed and the cost of the project.

“In previous discussions, they toyed with the figure of P10 million. But some said that it is too costly so we will try to lower it to a reasonable amount of maybe P5 million or P6 million,” he said, adding they would tap local labor to further cut the cost.

They initially planned to install the marker on Dec. 8, but considering the third phase, they might have to defer it, he said.

“Maybe on Dec. 8 we would just have a groundbreaking ceremony. The names of all those who perished and still missing would be placed on the marker,” he added.

The TF-POTS hopes to complete the entire operation before Dec. 25.

Based on PCG records, the sea tragedy left 32 survivors, 337 fatalities and 495 others still missing.

The vessel was carrying 864 people when it left the Port of Manila en route to Cebu last June 20.

Just before noon the next day, upon reaching the vicinity of Sibuyan Island, the ship entered the eye of typhoon “Frank.”

Buffeted by strong winds and huge waves, the ship tilted by 40 degrees to its port side (left side) and turned over completely.

The first phase involved the recovery of toxic substances, including 400 packs of the pesticide endosulfan and chemicals of the Bayer Crop Science, and bunker fuel from the sunken ship.