Cause and liability

We first learned about the maritime disaster involving MV June Aster from friends and relatives in the Netherlands aka Holland. The news of the fire on board MV June Aster and the multiple deaths that resulted apparently broke and spread all over Europe and the world.

It is important to remember that many Filipino seafarers are based in the Netherlands, particularly in Rotterdam, while many of the vessels they man also berth in the port of Scheveningen in The Hague, which is where the ICC prison and president Rodrigo Duterte is currently located.

Our kin in Holland all remember that seven years of our lives were spent in Northern Palawan, where I worked as the project manager during the construction of Club Paradise, now known as Discovery Paradise.

From there, I built a small bed and breakfast on a rocky point looking out to sea. It was during that time that Mt. Pinatubo erupted and no planes could fly in or out, and the only way back to Manila was on board a batil or wooden cargo ship reminiscent of Noah’s Ark.

I shuddered while reading the news of so many dead and missing on MV June Aster as I remembered that my wife Karen had once taken a wooden boat back to Manila right after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. Looking back, I would not let her do it again.

The MV June Aster disaster is another terrifying reminder that maritime regulation and management in the Philippines does not meet the required level of safety and competence.

There are many Coast Guard personnel who count heads, check for life jackets, illegal contraband and over-loading. But beyond that we have few trained professional maritime experts who can rule on whether a ship is fit to sail.

To be fair, it becomes difficult to follow strict international standards of safety and eligibility to sail if most of the inter-island ships in the Philippines are second hand or third hand vessels no longer allowed to operate in their original home ports.

Engine and electrical fires have been cited as causes of past maritime incidents attributed to poor maintenance, which in turn can be attributed to the poor state of a ship’s engine room.

On land, we call dilapidated deadly cars and buses “coffins on wheels.” Out at sea, the equivalent in terms of ships is “floating incinerators and cemeteries” because the number of injured or casualties is almost always high.

There is also the “no choice” reality on certain routes where the passenger and cargo load is so low or so cheap that operators will bring on anything and anybody just to make a profit. Last but not least, there is no turning away desperate passengers wishing to come on board.

So what solutions are there? In my view, inter-island ferry should be a national concern and a shared obligation between the national government and the provinces or LGUs being serviced and the private sector.

Inter-island shipping remains limited or stagnant because there are no serious investments, incentives and competition. Except for one or two big corporate investors, many inter-island ferry operators are small to medium businesses which have limited funds.

Unlike mega corporations that can bid, build and operate highways and expressways, the acquisition, operation and management of inter-island boats are expensive, tedious, not to mention weather dependent. Like resorts and tourist spots, their business is also seasonal.

One option is for the Philippine government to undertake a “government-to-government” procurement of new or slightly used ships. At this level, brokers and middlemen are automatically removed.

From there, the ships can enter the Philippines tax exempt as government acquisition for public use. Each ship can then be made available to bidders/operators under a partnership agreement, where the government offers the boats as well as income tax exemption for the operator.

The government in return can split or do a 70/30 share with operators. The goal is not necessarily profit, although that would be ideal, but to establish an improved, safe and modernized inter-island shipping industry.

Alongside the acquisition and operation of the vessels, the Philippine Coast Guard or maritime authorities can slowly train or send potential regulators to study rules and systems abroad so that the industry can be monitored by genuinely trained government personnel.

Speaking of training, it may be time for training and certification of maritime crew similar to the licensing of commercial truck drivers abroad and aircraft personnel. One of our readers Margarita S wrote:

“I hope you will write about safety in inter-island trips. I took a Fastcraft from Tagbilaran, Bohol to Cebu City last April 14 and again last Aug. 26, 2026. I noticed that unlike in airplanes, where the stewards/stewardesses demonstrate what to do in case of an emergency, including how to wear the life vest, in my two trips, there was no such demonstration. I believe this should be made mandatory before it sails to give instructions on how to wear the life vest and how to go about towards the exit.”

Recalling some of the trips I’ve taken on inter-island vessels usually overnight, I now wonder if the emergency exit is clearly marked “in the unlikely event that the captain declares abandon ship” or if I could find my life jacket in a panic. Yes, the crew really needs to instruct passengers well because our lives depend on it.

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