EDITORIAL - Disasters will continue, unless…

The investigation into the sinking of the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 off Basilan last February 14 continues, but it would seem that inept Coast Guard personnel and irresponsible Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) personnel contributed to the sinking of the vessel.

With overloading one of the causes of the sinking, four enlisted Coast Guard personnel who were part of the pre-departure inspection team were dismissed without honor for failing to conduct an independent verification of the actual passenger count based on the passenger manifest, as well as proper documentation of the vessel’s load line markings.

Earlier, three MARINA personnel were charged involving the issuance of safety certificates for the vessel. The ship reportedly underwent repairs on January 25 after almost a year in dry dock, but was allowed to set sail the following day without undergoing a thorough inspection.

Apparently, the MARINA personnel didn’t show up for the scheduled inspection.

However, there is a third group of people that didn’t just contribute to the disaster, but also added to the misery; ticket scalpers.

These are people who buy tickets at regular prices then sell them high to those who are desperate to get a ride, usually during peak travel times. They are one reason why there were actually more people on the boat than listed on the passenger manifest, and why there was confusion on the names of casualties and survivors.

We can even point to a fourth group of people, the traveling public, who take safety for granted. These are those who insist on still getting on a vessel despite seeing how full it has become. However, it wouldn’t be right to blame the victims in this case; they are just really desperate to be somewhere on time with the least amount of money spent.

All this shows how casually or even trivially some of us still take sea travel. It would seem that previous sea disasters haven’t made a lasting impression on Coast Guard personnel, MARINA personnel, and people in general.

The sad news is that because we are an archipelago and sea travel is still preferred by the masses, incidents like ship sinking and deaths at sea will continue until we take our responsibilities seriously or learn our lessons.