Tomorrow, the sinking of the MV Saint Thomas Aquinas off Lauis Ledge in Talisay City will mark one year of remembering.
The passenger ship of 2GO Travel which came from Nasipit, Agusan del Norte sank in the evening of Aug. 16, 2013 after colliding with cargo vessel Sulpicio Express Siete of the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp., formerly Sulpicio Lines Inc.
The collision took place 30 minutes before the passenger ship was expected to arrive in the port of Cebu City.
The tragedy claimed 116 lives and left 21 missing. A total of 733 were rescued.
A year after, the Marine Inquiry has yet to release its findings on who was at fault for the collision in the narrow but busy sea lane at the southern entrance of the Mactan Channel.
The sea tragedy highlighted the risks of sea travel in the country and the helplessness of travelers who are victims of accidents who seek redress.
Rubbing salt in the wound, last August 4, the Supreme Court ruled that a top executive of Sulpicio Lines Inc. whose vessel the Princess of the Stars sank in 2008 during a storm, could not be held criminally liable for the deaths of passengers.
If this ruling become final, families of victims and survivors of sea mishaps will have a harder time seeking redress.
If there is any silver lining in the 2013 Cebu collision of the MV St. Thomas Aquinas – Sulpicio Express Siete, it is the doggedness of Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy in pursuing damages claims against the ship owners for the oil spill that damaged the town’s coastal resources.
We hope the court will act speedily on the petition filed yesterday by Mayor Sitoy in behalf of the local government unit of Cordova and a fisherfolk organization.
Cordova residents are seeking US $3 million to pay for the rehabilitation of their coastal resources and another P81-million in damages for the lost livelihood of fisherfolk.
What weighs heavily in their favor is that the case is imbued with special public interest as an environment case and will be heard in a Regional Trial Court in Mandaue City that is specially designated to handle environment cases.
In seeking the issuance of a Temporary Environment Protection Order, a new remedy, this case will not languish in the court dockets like ordinary civil cases that take years to move.
It’s good to see a whole municipality standing up to assert the rights and interest of sea mishap victims and holding shipping companies accountable.