EDITORIAL - Wanted: Concrete maritime laws

Today marks the first anniversary of the sinking of MV Princess of the Stars in the seawaters off Sibuyan Island. Hundreds of passengers died in what would be called the worst sea tragedy in a decade.

The passenger ship of Sulpicio Lines Incorporated left Manila amid the onslaught of Typhoon Frank in the Visayas. The ship captain probably thought it would be safe to navigate since there was no announcement from the Philippine Coast Guard postponing any sea travel from Manila to the south.

Although no public storm signal was raised in Manila during that time, it was a different scenario in the Visayas. So when the Stars navigated through stormy seas near Sibuyan Island in Romblon hours after it had left Manila on June 20, 2008, the rest was history.

A year after the incident, it’s still not yet clear as to who should be blamed for the tragedy. The families of those who died vented their ire on the management of Sulpicio Lines.

Although it promised financial compensation to the victims’ kin, the shipping firm said it should not be blamed for the incident because no concerned government agency prevented the Stars from leaving the Port of Manila despite the brewing storm in the Visayas.

We do not want to conclude that all the blame should fall on the beleaguered shipping firm. The ball is now in the court of law and other investigating agencies.     

While it has not been clear who was really responsible for last year’s sea disaster, the government has never come up with guidelines aimed at preventing another sea tragedy. Several sea accidents happening across the archipelago continue to claim countless lives. 

It seems Filipinos have never learned a single lesson from past sea accidents.

As it hosts dozens of typhoons a year, this nation of 7,107 islands should have concrete maritime laws to prevent sea disasters from happening.