Typhoon 'Frank' and the Princess of the Stars

The Avila family would like to express our profound condolences to the family of the late Douglas Quijano who during the time that we were showing movies from Regal Films in the Avila theater circuit developed a good relationship with us. Douglas would always accompany his talents whenever they would go to Cebu to promote their films and we had had many great lunches and dinners together. What I can say about Douglas is that, despite the numerous film critics, I have never read anyone say anything derogatory about the man… that’s because he was a very amiable person and hard to fault. Douglas will be buried today and we can say that we truly have lost a good friend. May we request the pious reader to please pray for the repose of his soul.

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As the old saying goes, “Time waits for no one!” Tomorrow is the first anniversary when that freak typhoon “Frank” devastated the entire country, emerging from southeast of the Philippines, then cutting across the Visayas and moving north to Metro Manila and out to the South China Sea, devastating many places like Bantayan Island, Iloilo City and Metro Manila. But her most unforgettable victim was the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars of Sulpicio Lines, killing more than 600 passengers, where some of the bodies haven’t been identified.

The dismal track record of Sulpicio Lines is enough to tell us that we will not see the end of ship disasters in this country, until and unless drastic measures are made and practices and old habits are changed. Change, of course, comes first from the shipping companies who must come up with sturdier vessels that can withstand bigger storms and better crew training. But above all, they must have experienced ship captains who do not take unnecessary risks, like what happened to the M/V Princess of the Stars.

I cannot forget that exactly a year ago, I flew from Manila to Puerto Princesa on my first-ever trip to Palawan. We flew right over typhoon “Frank” or at least avoided her path. But all along, the M/V Princess of the Stars was plowing her way in the Sibuyan Sea oblivious to the dangers approaching her during daytime. Unfortunately, even a huge ship like that turned turtle and capsized with only her overturned bow showing up. So a year after this ship disaster, once more we ask, “Have we learned anything from that horrific disaster?”

Well, according to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo (in a Philippine STAR report last Thursday), “The fate of M/V Princess of the Stars will always be a painful memory to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives during the incident and uncertainty for the relatives of the passengers who are still missing. However the incident had also served as a wake-up call for those who are in the forefront of promoting the safety of life and property at sea. The mishap stimulated the entire maritime industry to strengthen its efforts and adopt measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.”

If you ask me, this statement from the Coast Guard sounds like it was issued right after the sinking of the Doña Paz or the Doña Marilyn. I call it a motherhood statement in order to say something to commemorate this sorry incident. But in truth, I still have to be convinced that the PCG has changed its policies on allowing vessels to leave the port, especially bigger ferries where the ship captain has the ultimate decision to leave the port or not. So until the next ship disaster, let’s all give a silent prayer for those who perished in that unnecessary ship disaster.

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Here’s a letter e-mailed to me by a Mr. Leonardo Santiago of Valenzuela City on our article about returning our 1935 Constitution:

“Your idea of reverting back to our 1935 Constitution is very sensible and noteworthy. I fully agree with it. The problem is the difficulty of getting it accepted by our politicians whose view of governance is to make the simple difficult and complicated. Admittedly, our Constitution, in its present form, needs some amendments, but if it is done to meet the personal agenda of certain elements at the expense of the national interest, reverting to a previous one sans the complications of amending the present Constitution should be seriously considered. I am now 78 years old and I am afraid that the present political bickerings on Cha-cha will not yield anything fruitful during the remaining years of my life on earth. Sincerely, Leonardo B. Santiago.”

I clearly pointed out that the article we wrote about returning to the 1935 Constitution was just food for thought. But changing the Constitution via con-ass to suit the political advantages of those already in power is a no-no. So our suggestion for a return to the 1935 Charter is a better decision.

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. Avila’s columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.