A Terrible Man Made Tragedy

The storm clouds were dark and threatening, weather stations had raised and broadcast danger signals, the radio was announcing the approaching onslaught of “Frank”, or by its official international name “God of the Winds” a massive typhoon packing 150 kilometer an hour wind and yet the ill-fated ferry MV Princess of the Stars put to sea with 862 passengers and crew amid treacherous waters from Manila to Cebu City last 21 June.

The ferry boat of the Sulpicio Lines owned by the powerful Go family, was given the go ahead signal and sailed into the fury of the typhoon. It was battered by mountainous waves off Sibuyan Island in Romblon. It listed badly but the order to abandon ship came too late. The ship turned turtle and as many as 800 hundred were trapped inside. Only 48 survived.

Weeks later, divers are still trying to retrieve the bodies of the victims inside the upturned hull that is protruding above the surface of the bay. It has now been discovered that they too may be in grave danger. The ship was carrying 10 tons of super-toxic hazardous pesticide ‘Endosulfan’ that was not listed, authorized or cleared by the Coast Guard and in fact was an illegal and criminal act. The entire area around the upturned hull is a deadly pond of toxic poison. The recovery of the dead cannot be continued. The coast line and fish stocks are contaminated.

The shipping lines owned by the vastly wealthy and politically influential Go family have had huge disasters in the past two of them because their ships were allowed to sail despite typhoon warnings. The world’s worst peace time sea disaster was also with a Sulpicio Lines ferry, the Doña Paz. On December 20, 1987, it collided with an oil tanker, MT Vector, a Caltex contract, in the Tablas Strait, near Mindoro. Human negligence was the cause of 4000 people drowning in that horrific tragedy. Sulpicio Lines and the Go family were not held liable.

During typhoon “Unsang” on 24 October 1988 The Doña Marilyn was ordered to sea by the owners and authorities did not object. The ship was overwhelmed by waves and sank, 250 people lost their lives no one was held libel. During the Typhoon “Gading” in September 18, 1998, the Sulpicio Lines ship MV Princess of the Orient put sea from Manila to Cebu City. It sank with the loss of 150 passengers.

Edgar Go, the Vice-President of Sulpicio lines said they had no responsibility for the latest sinking. It was an “Act of God”, the authorities seem to agree. They too have been cleared of all liability for allowing the ship to put to sea into the teeth of a typhoon. Blaming God is a total and shameful avoidance of responsibility. The “Act of God” argument is archaic and useless. Besides it is theologically abhorrent these days, where most Christians believe in a loving, caring personal God that wishes salvation, justice, and happiness for all people. At least they could have claimed it was “an Act of Nature”. However allowing a ferry boat to sail into a developing typhoon is criminal act of man. Covering up and blaming God is morally repugnant and sinful.

As a consequence, tragedies continue one after another. The money making greed of mercantile moguls can be found lurking behind the decision to take a chance with the lives of hundreds of people. To cancel the trip would have been a huge loss of profit for shipping lines. Losing the rusting hulk of an aging ferry, a sunken coffin, is no loss, but probably a benefit. The insurance will be paid. The poor, who travel by the ferry boat, suffer once again. The wealthy elite sail on past the bloated bodies to their worldly paradise on a luxury yacht enjoying impunity from prosecution, freedom from liability, blame and moral responsibility.

We can see the ugly bloated face of corrupt government officials many who owe their position to the money of the powerful elite. Let’s stop blaming God and let criminal liability fall where it should -on the heads of those who own and protect the death ships of the Philippines.