2Go invites expert to join command con

CEBU, Philippines - The University of the Philippines expert from Iloilo who earlier conducted ocular inspection in oil spill stricken Cordova will be back in Cebu to further discuss his assessment and recommendations.

“We have invited the UP Visayas expert, Dr. Rex Sadaba. We spoke over the phone. We will listen to his inputs especially with his background in Guimaras oil spill. He’s now back in Iloilo but agreed to join us this Friday at the command conference,” 2GO AVP Lito Salvio announced during yesterday’s regular command conference.

Salvio added that Sadaba’s credentials make him a reliable consultant since even Dr. Michael O’Brien, the British consultant from the International Tankers Oil Pollution Federation acknowledged the Ilonggo oil spill expert.

“Dr. O’Brien even said that he’s only a generalist while Dr. Sadaba is experienced and a technical expert,” Salvio stressed.

Hitting two birds with one stone, 2GO further announced that they hired local fisherfolk to help in the ongoing cleanup drive.

About 140 affected locals were tapped by the shipping company that owns the sunken M/V St. Thomas Aquinas and were compensated in such a way that it is not misused and goes directly to their families.

Instead of P200 cash daily compensation, each fisherfolk is given P150 worth of groceries including three kilos of rice, canned goods, and noodles plus P50 cash.

2GO also reported the daily laying of absorbent pads at the cleanup drive in Cordova which they clarified to have only seven as opposed to the 11 affected barangays earlier reported.

As to the reconciled irregularities in terms of the number of victims, Philippine Coast Guard Cebu Commander Weniel Azcuna yesterday reported the final and synchronized figures of victims.

“There are a total of 733 survivors composed of 629 passengers and 104

crew, 51 missing and six unaccounted passengers. We define unaccounted as those manifested passengers but have not been proven to have been found plus no relatives coming to us to report that they are missing,” Azcuna said.

Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes, through Engr. Bong Ebo, reported changes on the number of identified casualties.

From 53, it is now down to 51 after two failed the secondary assessment of PNP Crime Lab.

As suggested by Councilor Gerry Carillo, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama invited the Cebu Ports Authority to join today’s command conference in city hall to be able to air their side especially on the issue of the collision between the 2Go passenger ship and M/V Sulpicio Express Siete, owned by Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation. —/MIT (FREEMAN)