MAJOR
SEA TRAGEDY. Only a very small portion of the "MV Princess of the Stars"
is visible after it capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon last Saturday while
on her way to Cebu from Manila with more than 700 passengers and 111 crew members.
A child (inset) cluthes a picture of her sibling, one of the missing passengers.
| | At
least 14 Boholanos could now be dead while two have survived from two separate
sea disasters at the height of the lashing of typhoon "Frank" over the
weekend.
Reports
gathered by the Chronicle until presstime yesterday showed that 12 Boholanos,
including a veteran ship captain, may have drowned along with 700 others who were
aboard the ill-fated "MV Princess of the Stars" that capsized off Romblon
province last Saturday. |
Meanwhile,
two other apprentice seamen who just graduated their maritime studies in two colleges
here, were among missing crewmen of the coal cargo vessel "MV Lake Paoay"
that also sunk near Burias Island in Romblon last Saturday.
Sulpicio
Lines Inc., owner of Princess of the Stars, reported at least 57 survivors and
confirmed 20 fatalities from the ship's 862 passengers and crew members. This
included three who were bound for Bohol - Minerva Toremucha, Niño Lauro
and Rodel Laborte.
Reported
missing are "MV Princess of the Stars" ship master Capt. Florencio Marimon
Sr., Sanguenza Lucrecio, Anastacia Rulida and son Xyron Rulida, Alvino Laborte,
Emilio Laborte, Teresito Laborte, Myla Abarquez, Elmer Ganade, Cherry Amor Ganade
and crewmen Dexie Filomeno and Ruel Lariba.
Also
missing from the sunken "MV Lake Paoay" are Arnold Yuhengco and Julius
Bompat while their fellow trainee Julius Tolang was among survivors of the vessel's
crew who were washed ashore in Masbate yesterday.
The
Philippine Coast Guard have expanded its search areas starting yesterday and started
drilling a hole of the overturned "MV Princess of the Stars" to start
recovery of bodies still trapped inside the 23,800 ton ship.
| | | According
to Sulpicio Lines officials, they received a distress call from Marimon around
11:30 a.m. Saturday that the ferry had run aground.
By
that time, Capt. Marimon, a native of Loon town, ordered all passengers to abandon
the passenger ferry before it capsized about 15 minutes later.
The
24-year old "MV Princess of the Stars" was purchased by Sulpicio Lines
from Japan in 2001 at a cost of $5 million and had no record of any malfunction
or mechanical trouble. It was the biggest passenger vessel of the shipping company's
fleet. | Based
on official manifest, the vessel carried around 81 children of the 724 passengers,
27 contractors, concessionaires and sea marshals, and 111 crewmen.
Only
a few passengers were able to don lifejackets after the captain's alarm while
others jumped into the water towards the ship's 14 life rafts.
Meanwhile,
"MV Lake Paoay" was from Simirara Islad in Mindoro and was on its way
to deliver their cargo to Toledo City.
CAPTAIN
MISSING
The
55-year old Boholano ship captain is being blamed for the sea tragedy, considered
the biggest in 20 years, for sailing out even when Storm Signal No. 1 was already
out.
However,
Sulpicio Lines officials pointed out that the ship's size allowed it to sail even
under Storm Signal No.1 under maritime rules.
The
company said the ferry was in good running condition and that it had just undergone
regular "dry-dock" inspection in February last year at the Subic shipyard.
The
Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) requires dry-dock inspections every two and
a half years.
An
interview with a relative of Marimon in Loon yesterday revealed that they do not
yet have information regarding the fate of the ship captain.
SAVED
BY BAMBOO PILE
In
an interview with survivor Tolang, who is from Bilar town, he said that when their
cargo vessel lost engine function off Capiz province Saturday, they drifted off
to Burias Island in Romblon where it capsized.
The
ship was carrying 5,000 tons of coal.
According
to Tolang, most of the ship's 26 crewmen huddled on a stack of bamboos that was
included in their cargo. However, most of the crew, including the two other Boholano
apprentices could no longer keep hold of the bamboos.
Tolang
said others who were washed ashore already had decomposing skin. | 
