A vessel filled with passengers and cargo sailing forth into choppy waters in the midst of rainy weather. None are wearing life vests. What are the chances of safe passage?
BACKSTORY: SUDDEN TRAGEDY
That’s the question that boat owner Jong Buge Zarco, boat captain Warren Oliverio and the crew of the MB Kim Nirvana-B need to answer after they were arrested and detained for Thursday noon’s tragedy that resulted in the death of 59 passengers.
Their arrest and detention last Friday may have brought a fleeting sense of justice being served for the families and friends of the passengers who perished as well as those who survived the accident.
The fact that many people survived and the accident could have been far worse doesn’t count as a plus for the boat owner, captain and crew who would likely find a way to get out of jail before this week is done.
Pressured perhaps by President Benigno Aquino III’s order for a thorough investigation into the incident, the Ormoc City police filed murder charges in accordance with the wishes of the families.
Looking at the initial evidence, the case against them may be strong.
The passenger manifest showed that the banca carried 173 passengers but the total number of casualties at 59 and the 145 survivors indicate they were overloaded.
The two- level boat also carried sacks of cement and rice which further weighed down the vessel as it left the Ormoc City port a trip that takes four to five hours to Pilar town in Camotes Island, Cebu.
Owners of larger vessels balked at the prospect of traveling in waters whose waves were made stronger by the southwest monsoon or habagat.
What convinced boat owner Joge Bung Zarco, boat captain Warren Oliverio and the crew to thinking they could manage to safely transport more than 200 passengers with their heavy cargo from Ormoc City to Pilar?
Island residents of Pilar usually take the boat ride to and from Ormoc City in Leyte province since it is the nearest destination for their supplies, vacation, work and even studies.
It’s closer than sailing to the Cebu mainland and having to take an additional one or two hour road trip to the city.
It’s a sea route that, while profitable, is not without its dangers.
Human error and a miscalculation of the manuevering of the boat, with its hefty cargo of cement and rice, with a full load of passengers is being looked into by investigators.
One important question of safety at sea is why passengers weren’t wearing life vests which could have increased their chances of survival?
The accident occured a few kilometers from the Ormoc port, within plain view of people who watched in horror as the boat veered sharply to the right, heading for Pilar, then capsized.
At that distance, there was a fighting chance for all passengers and crew to be saved.
Again, that’s for Zarco, Oliverio and crew to answer to the families and friends of the victims, who should not be denied justice for this tragedy that could have been avoided in the first place.
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