EDITORIAL – Warning to the maritime industry

This is the pace of justice in this country: 19 years after the ferry M/V Doña Paz collided with the oil tanker Vector in the waters between Mindoro and Marinduque, the Court of Appeals has ordered the ferry’s owner, Sulpicio Lines Inc., to pay P14.9 million to the heirs of one of the victims of the collision. The order should serve as a stern warning to the maritime industry that safety regulations must be strictly followed. But the warning will have an impact only when actual payment is made. And that could take another 19 years of litigation, with the case reaching the Supreme Court.

The collision in December 1987 killed 4,000 people, making it the worst peacetime maritime disaster in the world. The grievous loss of lives did not lead to drastic reforms in the maritime industry. Since the disaster, many more people have died because domestic passenger vessels were overloaded, broke down due to age or caught fire because of improperly stowed cargo. Passenger manifests remain inaccurate. And as the Solar 1 oil spill has shown, there are ship crewmembers lacking qualifications for the job.

Maritime safety rules continue to be flouted because shipping operators always get off lightly even when violations lead to deaths. Now the Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court’s order to one of the largest shipping companies in the country, with the appeals court increasing the amount that must be paid. The victim, Maximo Lorenzo Jr., was a geodetic engineer. His widow Manuela knows her law — she is a judge of the Manila regional trial court — and pursued her complaint against Sulpicio Lines.

Her victory should set a precedent for the heirs of other victims of maritime disasters — if the court order becomes final and is enforced. Final adjudication of this case cannot wait another 19 years. A lesson must be taught, a strong warning must be delivered, that safety is always the paramount consideration in maritime transportation.