Batangas to Puerto Galera banca sinks

[chip104]

should be for 42 but there were more than 60 ppl on the boat.

Twelve dead in Philippines ferry accident
AFP - Sunday, May 24MANILA (AFP) Twelve people, including a Japanese national, were killed and 57 rescued after a ferry sank in waters south of the Philippine capital on Saturday, the coast guard said.
The boat, the MV Commander 6, was carrying people from Batangas to a resort beach on the island of Mindoro when it was hit by large waves which cracked its hull, causing the vessel to sink, the coast guard report said.
Among the dead was a Japanese identified by survivors as Shoji Hosotani, said local police Chief Superintendent Luisito Palmera. However he said he could give no further details on the deceased.
Coast guard rescue vessels and private boats rushed to the scene to rescue people after the boat sank. There were no immediate reports on whether any of the people on board were still missing.
The boat had only 42 people on its manifest, indicating that many people had boarded without being listed, coast guard officials said.
Small, poorly-maintained ferries are the backbone of inter-island travel in this archipelagic country and many ferry owners resort to overloading their vessels, leading to frequent maritime mishaps.

Actually LIS, many people board those bangkas without signing in to the ship log. Something that bit them in the ass if they are missing. That's why I always sign my name.

 

[Izel]

Besides the over-crowding, they close the sides of the outrigger with a tarpuline (did I get the spelling right?) to keep the rain and waves off the boat. This means the main exit to the boat is to the front only. But to make matters worse, the baggages are placed on the isle and at the front blocking the exits. If the outrigger over-turned, water will fill it up in an instant. There's not enough time to even react. This is just horrible....

I hope they put more safety protocols on these vessels and make sure exits are always accesible.

Gi

 

[CODMAN]

I didn,t even know there were ship logs for these Bankas! Definetly a good idea to sign in. I'll try to remember that...

 

[chip104]

yeah, it's at the booth when you pay for the ticket. A lot of people don't do it, but it's required by law as the company can get fined.

Most importantly, I never ever want to give my family any false sense of hope on whether I was on the bangka or not.

 

[World Wide Diver]

yeah, it's at the booth when you pay for the ticket. A lot of people don't do it, but it's required by law as the company can get fined

Profit/making people happy seems to often take priority over rules and law.

Our recent trip to Sandakan from Zamboanga proved this. The ferry was highly overloaded and many complained about this viz safety. We were legal and on the manifest. Coastguard came on the ferry, counted heads YET still approved overloading.

They journey was a nightmare - the worst we have ever made because of this. We were frightened for our/others safety. This is after spending many years at sea on boats.

So, what safeguards are really employed to prevent these disasters, and what is the Government doing?

You can be on the manifest so Government can tell your relatives that you are missing/dead, but the fact remains that no checks/controls are in place (even from the coastguard) to protect you from common practice of overloading.

Laws/rules are simply not applied here. Maritime rules are for the safety of the general public for a good reason.

Would you refuse to travel on a boat where the operator is overloading - especially when you have transport waiting/flights to catch?

Most just accept this and take a risk. This is often the cause of most 'accidents'.

IMO, the Philippines need to abide by safety rules and ensure that passenger numbers are not exceeded. Now this (and other) accident makes 'ferry travel' in the PI's seem unsafe.

Also, you and others here know this to be true, but nobody wants to 'stick their necks out' to stop this. More a 'que sera sera' approach which you expect foriegn tourists to accept 'good seamanship and local practices'.

How can we/you/foreign tourist be happy with this attitude and approach?

If tourists accept local values for life here and (ignorantly/through need) board these boats, then more will die needlessly.

So, who is really responsible for this? I lay the blame with the passengers who know better, but never (or rarely) challenge the law as the situation benefits them.

I also blame the coastguard who blatently allow this to happen (under-resources and generally corrupt).

Interested to know what others think.

 

[World Wide Diver]

We add.

We are safe travellers who are not 'green'. So, when we pay for our ticket and are on a ferry and included on the manifest (waited for more than 1 hour for coastguard clearance), then how can people be loaded that are NOT on the manifest to an extent where the boat is listing?

So, how can tourists have faith in laws and the systems here when these are being patently abused for the profit of the ferry operator?

How many deaths must there be before rules, laws and legislation are enforced?

Otherwise, please give us all 'Top 10 Tips' of surviving a Philiipine ferry trip - i.e. - how to recognise that you are in danger, and what to do.

 

[chip104]

I think you should write the Philippine Coast Guard and your local government representative.

 

[World Wide Diver]

Yes I agree, but the issue here for me is that this ferry operated in a touristic place - not a remote area (as we were in). Thus, if this is 'best case' then what can tourists expect in other areas? It should not be like this.

Our local coastguard here in Davao is not so bad and there have not (thankfully) been incidents like this here in the past few years.

I just care that if the full tourism potential for the PI's is to be realised, then it is very important that people know that laws and rules are being adhered to.

These laws are made for a good reason - safety first.

Without predjudice, I actually think that the PI's are one of the better nations for ferry travel in the World - considering the millions of ferry journeys made each year as opposed to incidents. I would also say, with some confidence, that Filipinos are amongst the best seafarers in the World.

But, overloading is dangerous here or anywhere in the World (and against the law). This is always the major cause of accidents and what people fear the most.

As a tip for visitors, each ferry has a notice stating the maximum passenger numbers that the boat is licenced to carry. If you count more than this, then please GET OFF and get a refund.

 

[chip104]

just curious - have you ever taken the outriggers across the batangas channel to/from Batangas and Puerto Galera?

 

[World Wide Diver]

just curious - have you ever taken the outriggers across the batangas channel to/from Batangas and Puerto Galera?

No, why?