UP study warns: Romblon Island at risk of massive slide from rains!

A study conducted by the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS) revealed that Romblon Island is at risk of landslide in the magnitude of what Southern Leyte’s St. Bernard town experienced this year if it is hit by excessive rainfall or a strong earthquake.

UP-NIGS professor Dr. Carla Dimalanta said that based on their study, a collision between the Palawan Microcontinental Block and the seismically-active Philippines Mobile Belt will affect the Romblon Island Group (RIG).

The study was entitled "Geophysical, Geological and Geochemical Investigations on the Arc-Continent Collision Zone in the Romblon, Tablas and Sibuyan Islands, Romblon Province."

"(There was an) assessment of possible geologic and other hazards (in the Romblon Island Group)," Dimalanta said.

According to Dimalanta, the group found shattered rocks in the island province, a very important factor which could trigger a landslide similar to what happened to barangay Guinsaugon, St. Bernard on Feb. 17 following days of heavy rainfall.

"Matigas ang rocks pero because of the fault and structures, naging shattered yung rocks," Dimalanta said, adding that the island province also have steep slopes which make them at risk of landslides.

She said that the group is planning to talk with officials of the province to prepare the residents against these natural disasters.

"The provincial government can incorporate (this study in) coming up with disaster mitigation plan and land use plan," Dimalanta said.

In their executive summary, the researchers said, "This study identified some potential natural hazards, which may pose risk on the Romblon Island Group. These include meteorological-, volcanological-, and seismic-related hazards, the most notable of which are rain-induced and earthquake-induced landslides, tsunamis and tornadoes.

"The appropriate mitigating measures such as a hazard preparedness and awareness program must be put into place by the provincial and local government units."

The study, said to be "the first integrated geological, geochemical and geophysical investigation of a collision-related feature," has also found that Palawan island and some smaller islands had been "separate from the Philippine archipelago" since the rocks in the other parts of the country are different from that in Palawan."

Dimalanta said that Palawan rocks are a fragment of Mainland Asia.

"This is a significant finding in the history of the country," she said.

She said Romblon Island had been included in the study since geologists believe that it is part of the Palawan Microcontinental Block.

The study, funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and monitored by the agency’s Philippines Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD), started late in 2004 and ended last December, Dimalanta said.

The professor said that after the completion of the study, the group will analyze Romblon groundwater resources this summer while another collision aspect study will be done on Buruanga in Panay island also within this year.

The landslide in barangay Guinsaugon have buried alive some 2,000 people, including elementary pupils, last February.

Dimalanta earlier had said that Southern Leyte’s relatively loose volcanic rocks, thick soil cover, fractured and fragmented Philippines Fault Zone segment, hydrothermal alteration, and too much rain caused the landslide in Guinsaugon.

by: Madel R. Sabater

More remains from MV Princess of the Stars recovered

GMANews.TV

All Souls Day?

Some Religious groups don't celeberate All Souls day. It's not written in the bible. There is no such thing as All Souls day. Sorry but that is the truth. According to the Roman Catholic doctrine, All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. This day is observed in the Roman Catholic Church, churches of the Anglican Communion, Old Catholic Churches, and to some extent among Protestants. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes several All Souls' Days during the year. The Roman Catholic celebration is based on the doctrine that the souls of the faithful which at death have not been cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for mortal sins, cannot attain the beatific vision in heaven yet, and that they may be helped to do so by and by the sacrifice of the Mass.

Is there any prof that this event exist in the past days? Even before the Christ was born? I'm sorry to all my fellow christians, but I think this is the truth. Good luck to all. Happy weekend!

Battleship Musashi - Plan to refloat off Sibuyan Island

Battleship Musashi sunk by allied forces in World War II.

A Japanese group visited yesterday Sibuyan Sea off this island province as it bared a plan to refloat a big Japanese warship that was sunk in the area on Oct. 24, 1944 during a great naval battle between the allied forces and the Japanese Imperial Navy in World War II.

The Japanese, group headed by Kiyoshi Goto of the Japanese government and Toshihiko Suzuki, chief executive officer of AIPAC (Asian Countries and Islands Optical Fiber Communication and Philippines Property in Asia), made yesterday an offer to the Philippine government to refloat the sunken Japanese warship in the Sibuyan Sea.

The Japanese offer calls for the conversion of the warship into a tourist attraction which could be made a symbol of friendship between the Philippines and Japan.

Goto and Suzuki, who arrived the other day in the country from Japan, said that their group would shoulder all the expenses for the refloating of the warship.

The two Japanese executives came all the way to this historic island to drop flowers and sprinkle champagne at the area in Sibuyan Sea where the warship was sunk during World War II.

The group is proposing to develop the area into a tourist destination for the benefit of the Filipinos and the Japanese, particularly the relatives of the crews of the sunken warship.

As this developed, Gen. (retired) Dominador C. Resos Jr., president of the Romblon Cultural Heritage Association Inc. (ROCHAI), is inviting foreign dignitaries, including US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and top Japanese Embassy officials, to witness and recall once again the Battle of Sibuyan Sea, which is described as "the greatest and deadliest naval battle ever recorded in the history of World War II," that took place on Oct. 24, 1944.

"Join us in our return to this tragic chapter of World War II when the blue waters of Sibuyan Sea turned blood red, caused by the mixture of blood shed by the international soldiers led by the protagonists, American and Japanese soldiers, and their respective allies," General Resos said.

Dubbed as "the world’s biggest battleship," Japan’s Musashi with 1023 of her crew sank to her watery grave in the seabed of Sibuyan Sea. One hundred or more warships and aircraft also sank and gave company to Musashi on the ocean floor.

Shortly after the furious naval battle, historians say, some 2000 bodies of soldiers floated in the Sibuyan Sea waters.

Some of the bodies drifted to coastlines and beaches, including those of Boracay Island and Carabao Island.

Resos said that old folk, fishermen, and amateur "ghostbusters" had claimed that Sibuyan Sea is full of mysteries, saying "it is haunted and enchanted.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Apologized!

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has formally apologized for a comedy show it aired that offended Filipinos both in the United Kingdom and in the Philippines, the Philippine government said on Friday.

The apology was contained in a letter dated Oct. 10, from BBC Director General Mark Thompson to Philippine Ambassador in Londan Edgardo Espiritu, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

In a Sept. 26 episode of "Harry and Paul," the comedy sketch showed comedian Harry Enfield ordering his Filipino maid to mate with his friend Paul Whitehouse. The Filipino woman was shown gyrating in front of Whitehouse in an effort to seduce him.

Here is the video:


Following the release of the show, which obviously upset the 200,000-strong Filipino community in the United Kingdom, the Philippine embassy in London sent letters to different British government offices, including the Mayor of London, and the BBC itself to protest the "slur" on Filipino domestic workers in Britain.

Filipinos in both the Philippines and Britain protested the "insulting reference to Filipino women, typifying them in a dual role as domestic workers and sex toys of their British employers."

In the letter, Thompson asked the Filipinos to accept his "sincere apologies, on behalf of the BBC, for the offense that this program caused."

Overseas Filipino workers are considered "modern-day heroes" of the Philippines, whose billions of dollars of remittances act as a cornerstone of the national economy in the Southeast Asian country.

It was the second time in recent months that Filipinos reacted vehemently against their negative portrayal on major foreign television. Last year, Filipinos were offended by the American Broadcasting Co. and made the U.S. TV giant apologize and deleted the controversial segment from its TV show "Desperate Housewives."


from: magdiwangromblon.ning.com/virgil rotoni radan

Recovered bodies from ‘Princess’ now at 36 - Coast Guard

The number of bodies recovered from the capsized MV Princess of the Stars rose to 36 after divers retrieved the remains of three more victims as retrieval operations continued on its third day.

A radio dzBB report quoted Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo as saying that as of Tuesday afternoon, the number of bodies recovered on Tuesday alone rose to 16, raising the total number of bodies retrieved from the capsized ship to 36.

Divers from salvage group Harbor Star and counterparts from the Coast Guard had been searching the ship since Sunday for remains of more than 500 passengers trapped inside.

Tamayo said he has instructed the divers to search all accommodation spaces, including other decks of the ship, for remains.

"Ginagawa natin ang lahat na paraan (We are doing all we can)," Tamayo said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He also said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has a team on standby to identify bodies that will be retrieved from the capsized vessel.

The Sulpicio Lines-owned MV Princess of the Stars capsized off Romblon last June 21 at the height of typhoon "Frank."

Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV

MERCENARY FOR HIRE?

One day my officemate, told me that the Blackwater US are hiring Pinoys to work as mercenary abroad, particularly in Iraq and other Middle Eastern Nations. Some of you well ask, what is Blackwater? Well guys, Blackwater is a private military company founded in 1997 byErik Prince and Al Clark. It has alternatively been referred to as a security contractor or a mercenary organization. It is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors.

My friend told me that police and military personnel are the most qualify to apply. According to him, some of his friends in the military, are able to passed the screening and now working abroad as mercenaries.

The contract will be 6 months, $3000 a month. After the deployment, everyone is guaranteed an immigrant visa. If the mercenary can survive, then he is a US Citizen after 6 months, including his/her family.

Survey of Princess of the Stars for bodies starts

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has started surveying the M/V Princess of the Stars off Romblon to locate the bodies of passengers who were trapped when the vessel sank at the height of typhoon “Frank” last June 21.

PCG commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said, “We have already met with the officials of Sulpicio Lines Inc. and the salvaging firm Harbor Star and when they said they were ready to conduct the survey operations, we told them to go ahead.”

But Tamayo said there is no definite timetable for the retrieval of the bodies.

Earlier, salvors removed 400 packs of the toxic pesticide endosulfan as well as Bayer Crop Science products, and siphoned off 176,000 liters of bunker fuel from the sunken ship.

At least 33 people survived the sea tragedy. More than 200 have been confirmed dead, while 515 others were listed as missing.

In Cebu City, meanwhile, acting Mayor Michael Rama gave assurance that the bodies that would be recovered will not be brought to Cebu unless they are cleared of contamination by toxic substances carried by the vessel.

Rama said the bodies will first undergo thorough examination by the Department of Health to ensure that they do not pose any public health risk.

Dr. Renato Bautista, head of the National Bureau of Investigation-Disaster Victims Identification, also promised to preserve the remains in their best possible form to facilitate easy identification.

Rama also echoed the call of authorities for the families of Princess of the Stars passengers still listed as missing not to go to Cebu unless they are contacted and once the recovered bodies are processed at the mobile morgue put up at the Cebu International Port.

from: www.philstar.com

The Battle of Sibuyan Sea

I read in another newspaper about a plan to re-float the sunken Musashi, the largest battleship in the world, and convert it into a tourist attraction and a symbol of the friendship between the Philippines and Japan. I don’t know about the symbolic part, but I do agree that it would certainly become a major tourist attraction for the Philippines. After all, the Battle of Leyte Gulf may have been fought between the Japanese and the Americans, but this greatest of battles happened right in our backyard.

The Musashi was the flagship of then Admiral Mineichi Koga, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet, who took over the command on April 18, 1943 when Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was ambushed by a squadron of Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and crashed in Bougainville, the Solomons.

Allow me to refresh the memory of our faithful readers who may have forgotten who Admiral Koga is as we wrote his story sometime ago. This story is about the highest-ranking Japanese officer ever captured in the entire Pacific War. He was captured some 35 kilometers south of Cebu City on April 1,1943 by Cebuano guerrillas under Col. James Cushing.

On March 31, 1943, two Kawanishi “Mavis” flying boats carrying Admiral Koga and his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Shigeru Fukudome, flew from Korkor, Palau to Davao as they were transferring their headquarters to Mindanao 600 miles away. But the two seaplanes ran into a violent storm and got lost and eventually separated somewhere between Leyte and Cebu.

Admiral Koga’s plane vanished, while Admiral Fukudome’s plane crashed at sea off San Fernando, Cebu where he survived with his crew and they were captured by guerrillas. A guerrilla also found in the flotsam the so-called “Koga papers,” the secret Z-Plan or Sho Plan for the defense of the Philippines. The Koga papers were sent to Gen. MacArthur’s headquarters in Australia via the submarine USS Crevalle. Because of this secret information, Gen. MacArthur decided to change his invasion plans and advance the date of invasion to October 1944 in Leyte instead of Mindanao in 1945.

I’m writing about the super battleship Musashi because it is the 64th anniversary today of the Battle of Sibuyan Sea, which was the opening act of the famous Battle of Leyte Gulf, the greatest naval battle in the world. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was Japan’s counter-attack because of the invasion of Leyte on Oct. 20, 1944. Both super battleships Yamato and Musashi (they carried 18-inch guns, while the US Navy’s battleships only had 16-inch guns) were under the command of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita and sailed from Brunei on Oct. 23, 1944, then through the Palawan passage and into Sibuyan Sea on Oct. 24, 1944.

When the battle started, the Yamato was hit by dive-bombers and immediately withdrew to Palawan, while her sister-ship, the Musashi, was hit by Hellcats from the USS Intrepid (this carrier is now a museum docked in New York City), the USS Bunker Hill and other carriers of Task Force 38. But the deadly blow came from the USS Enterprise, which hit Musashi with a total of 20 torpedoes and 17 bombs, with 18 bombs hitting near her bow. The Musashi sank in Sibuyan Sea (I guess this is not far from the site of the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars) with her 2,399 men on board. Only 1,023 survived the sinking, while Admiral Kurita retreated to San Bernardino Strait.

Meanwhile, the US also lost the carrier USS Princeton in that battle, but she was scuttled east of Luzon, while the USS Birmingham and many other American Navy ships were badly damaged. The following day, the other battle of Leyte Gulf commenced and this was the Battle of Surigao Strait, one of the turning points in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. But then that’s another great history that someday I would also write about.

from: www.philstar.com

8th National PESO Congress

The 8th National PESO Congress was held at Butuan City last October 1-3, 2008 at Almont Hotels Inland Resort.

Our Division was assigned to facilitate the PESO Congress. We were all busy for a month, preparing for this event. We arrived at Butuan City one day before the congress. We need to make sure that the venues and accomodations for 700 participants are already ok. Whew there are 700 participants and we are only 12 from the Bureau, excluding the top officials of DOLE.

The Congress is very helpful to different PESOs throughout the Country. There are speakers from Government agencies, particularly from POEA and top officials from DOLE. They discussed the different trends and issues regarding employment.

What is PESO?

The Public Employment Service Office or PESO is a non-fee charging multi-employment service facility or entity established or accredited pursuant to Republic Act No. 8759 otherwise known as the PESO Act of 1999.

To carry out full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all, and for this purpose, to strengthen and expand the existing employment facilitation service machinery of the government particularly at the local levels there shall be established in all capital towns of provinces, key cities, and other strategic areas a Public Employment Service Office, Hereinafter referred to as PESO, which shall be community-based and maintained largely by local government units (LGUs) and a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or community-based organizations (CBOs) and state universities and colleges (SUCs). The PESOs shall be linked to the regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for coordination and technical supervision, and to the DOLE central office, to constitute the national employment service network.

The congress also showcase the different presentations of PESOs. A dance competition, with hawaiian motive, to be presented on the last night of the Congress. The grand price was won by Region 12, the first-runner up goes to Region IV-A and the second-runner up went to Region 10. The grand price winner take home P10,000. There are other awards given to different PESOs. The BEST PESO take home P45,000.

On the next day, we were invited to attend the birthday party of a PESO Manager from Surigao City, Ms. Amor Morales, an active member of PESOPhil. It takes 2 hours from Butuan to Surigao City. The foods are great, litson baboy, crab meat , seafoods whew pampabata...hehehe.

On Oct. 4,2008, we went home with a smile. The 8th National PESO Congress was successful.

Salvaging of M/V Princess of the Stars to start Sunday

from: GMANews.TV

The Player in Me

Champion volleyball players do not become as good as they are in an instant. It takes years of training hard to become good enough to compete at the professional level. Champions are winners because they have mastered the fundamentals,not because they dream up awesome plays. For this reason all coaches, players, officials, and students of the game need to give that 110% that's needed to achieve the ultimate goal of success.

I played volleyball since Grade 6. My Coach then was Mr. Ado Tansiongco, a known sportsman and teacher. He became my mentor, my father, and a friend. I learned basic volleyball from him. He teaches me to develop discipline, to stay healthy, and to study hard while playing. He was a good coach. A very respectable person.

When I was in High School, I continued my journey as a volleyball player. Mr. Tingtong Rollon, was my coach at that time, now a retired teacher and Barangay Captain. He is one of the most dedicated and deserving person for the job. I learned a lot from him. I trained for 2 months a year, 3 times a week before the District Meet, a competition between schools (Magdiwang, Cajidiocan and San Fernando). My record as a member of Magdiwang Volleyball team was 3-0 for three consecutive years. I did not join the team during my freshman in high school.

When I was chosen as one of the players to represent the Island of Sibuyan for the Provincial Competition, known as Provincial Meet. Take note, majority of the players came from Magdiwang. I remembered some of them, John Paul Morgado, Juan Rotoni, Nino Noel Tansiongco, Joel Loyola and Hadji Fabellon. Our team took 2 Championships, from 1997 and 1998.

In college, I still played volleyball, but not as a varsity player. I prefered to focus on my studies. But, I still managed to play my favorite sport. An inter-department competition held every year in our school. Our department, took 2 Championships.

Those days are gone, but the friends, the companions and the memories I earned cannot be forgotten. Thank You Guys!

My ZTE 321 CHINA Phone

I bought my china phone last November 2007. The price then was P7,000. I love the 3D sound, the Analog TV, the dual sim and even the life of its battery, it can last for 5 to 6 days. The only problem with this kind of phone, is the availability of its parts. As we all know, here in the Philippines, there are Service Centers for Nokia, Samsung, Sony Erickson. In other words, this kind of phone is disposable. Once the LCD is broken, then you need to buy another phone.

FEDERAL AGENT ENTRANCE EXAM

One of my dream is to become a federal agent someday. Hmmh, wow federal agent ha, like Jack Bauer of "24" hehehe. My officemate used to be a member of the ISAF for almost 10 years, but he was detailed in our office since 2004. This guy knows everything, computer troubleshooting, computer hacking, different illegal activities, and how to deal with different persons. One day, he gave me a site address, a very interesting link, that needs some patience to solve.

http://www.killwithme.com/

Guys, take your time, I managed to finish this test for 12 mins.Good luck.

Survivor Philippines

GMA-7 has finally revealed the identities of the 18 castaways (originally 16) that will compete for the three million pesos cash prize—tax free—in the first-ever Survivor Philippines, hosted by Paolo Bediones.

The 18 castaways, nine males and nine females, were chosen out of more than 43,000 Survivor fans and aspiring castaways who auditioned nationwide.

The 18 castways were initially divided into two groups: Naak and Jarakay, which means snake and crocodile, respectively, in Thai language. Every three days, they will battle for reward and immunity. On the third day, one will be eliminated until only two or three castaways are left. From them the Jury, composed of voted-out castaways, will determine who will win the three million pesos cas prize and the title of the first Pinoy Sole Survivor.

Survivor Philippines will be aired nightly on GMA-7 after Ako Si Kim Samsoon starting September 15.

The official 18 castaways

"Call Center Cutie"
Name: Leona Rica "Nikki" Dacullo
Age: 21
Address: Tacloban City
School: RTRMF
Parents: Mrs. Narisa Dacullo
Pageants Joined: Mutya Ng San Jose 2001
Miss Pintados 2006
Occupation: Call Center Agent
Friendster: Nikki Dacullo

"The Model"
Name: Kristina "Kaye" Alipio
Age: 20
Occupation: sexy lingerie model

"Taekwondo Champion"
Name: Veronica "Vern" Domingo
Age: 29
Address: Bacoor, Cavite
Occupation: Taekwondo Coach
Friendster: Veronica Domingo

"Bisayang Palaban"
Name: Chevyline "Chev" Macias
Age: 26
Occupation: former GRO

"Farmer Girl"

Name: Vevherly "Vev" Gador
Age: 19
Address: Cebu
Occupation: Criminology Student
Friendster: Vevherly Gador

"Smart Babe"
Name: Anna Charisse Yacapin
Age: 26
Occupation: Product Officer
Facebook: Anna Charisse Yacapin

"Ang Yaya"
Name: Jervy "Patani" "Tanya" Daño
Age: 20
Address: Talisay Cebu
School: Camotes National High School
Occupation: Baby Sitter
Friendster: Jervy Dano

"Sporty Mom"
Name: Maria Nona "Niña" Ortiz
Age:
Ocuupation: designer/wellness coach

"Ang Labandera"
Name: Zita Ortiga
Age: 46
Occupation: Laundrywoman

"The Hunk"
Name: Reynaldo "Jace" Chanco Flores, Jr.
Age: 19
Occupation: gym instructor/mixed martial artist

"Ang Mekaniko"
Name: John Anthony Lopez
Age: 27
Address: Bicol
Occupation: auto mechanic/model
Friendster: John Anthony Lopez

"Hardcourt Heartthrob"
Name: John Carlo "JC" Tiuseco
Age: 23
Address: Manila
School: San Sebastian College
Occupation: NCAA basketball player
Site: John Carlo "JC" Tiuseco Xanga Site


"The Driver"
Name: Crisanto "Cris" Cartagenas
Age:
Occupation: Company Driver

"The Technician"
Name: Emerson Dino
Age: 31
Occupation: Technician

"The Lone Rider"
Name: Cesar "Gigit" Sulit
Age: 48
Address: Sagada, Mountain Province, PH
Occupation: web designer/mountaineer
Friendster: Cesar Gigit Sulit
Cesar Sulit Website: TheLoneRider.com

"Waiter"
Name: Marlon Carmen
Age: 30
Address: Paranaque
Occupation: Waiter
Friendster: Marlon Carmen

"Free Spirit"
Name: Raymund Francis "Kiko" Rustia
Age: 27
Birthday: September 1, 1981
Address: Quezon City
Occupation: Model
Site: Raymund Francis "Kiko" Rustia Blog

"Lover Boy"
Name: Robert Vincent "Rob" Sy
Age:
Occupation: sales officer

The Mystery of Pier 12

In the aftermath of the MV Princess of the Stars maritime disaster, the blame culture once again reared its ugly head in the local maritime industry as accusing fingers flew all over the place. Sulpicio Lines even had the nerve to put the blame on PAG-ASA for its erroneous weather bulletin on typhoon Frank. Why? Does PAG-ASA own the typhoon that it really does not have control of? It’s a lot different in the case of Sulpicio Lines because it owns MV Princess of the Stars and it has full control of its ship whether it wants it to sail in bad weather or not. Officials of the company said that they left the discretion to sail with the captain. Yeah right! Tell me about it. If the captain did not sail because of bad weather, do you think the management would be very happy losing a couple of millions in that Manila-Cebu trip? Then, there’s the brewing issue between Sulpicio Lines and Del Monte over a chemical shipment. While all these make up for ‘newsworthy’ items in today’s media, these only obscure the real issue at hand.

*******

Without meaning to make a parody of the tragedy, the real issue is getting to the bottom of the mess so that appropriate actions can be take n to minimize, if not prevent, future maritime disasters. How can we minimize sea tragedies if the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) only gives culpable parties mere slaps on the wrist? Did you know that Sulpicio Lines was not meted a fine for the MV Doña Paz - MT Vector collision on December 1987? Did you know that the owner of MT Vector was fine a meager P5,000 for the accident? Is that the worth of the more than 4,300 lives that perished in the world’s worst maritime disaster in the last 21 years? Did you also know that Sulpicio Lines was never fined by the BMI for the sinking of MV Princess of the Orient in September 1998?

*******

As a seasoned marine engineer and having inspected a number of domestic passenger vessels in the past and discovered glaring deficiencies in the process, I strongly recommend that the BMI should start unmasking the mystery of Pier 12, if only to get to the bottom of the spate of maritime disasters that seems to have found a home in the turf of Sulpicio Lines. Consider this fact: MV Doña Paz, MV Princess of the Orient, and MV Princess of the Stars were actually the flag ships of Sulpicio Lines at the time they sank. A flag ship is usually the biggest in the fleet and something that the shipowner is proud of because it is the company’s ‘signature’ ship. Those ships of Sulpcio were big ones. MV Princess of the Stars was in fact, the biggest domestic passenger ferry in the Philippines, before it capsized off Sibuyan Island.

*******

Doesn’t anybody from BMI or anybody who has the right shipping intellect find it mysterious when a 23,824-GRT ship can easily go into North Harbor and berth at Pier 12 without running aground? About eight years ago, Enrique Aboitiz Jr. was saying that it would be very difficult to berth a 15,000-GRT ship in North Harbor. Obviously, because the draft or the depth of the water will not allow bigger ships to go in, much less berthed alongside any of the piers. But how come Sulpicio Lines managed to do so with the significantly bigger MV Princess of the Stars some two years after Aboitiz made the pronouncement? In getting to the bottom of the issue, we also need to get to the bottom of the ship, where the ballast tanks are located. And here lies the answer to the mystery of Pier 12 and Sulpicio Lines’ spate of maritime disasters, whether the company’s management admit it or not. Their flag ships were not ballasted at all. Because if the ship’s ballast tanks were only pressed, that would have ensured stability and trim to those ill-fated vessels, Sulpicio Lines would not have been able to operate those vessels in North Harbor. The deeper draft of their big ships would only allow them to stay at the anchorage because going further to the pier would mean taking all the silt under North Harbor’s murky waters all the way to the berth. In fact, during the BMI probe following the sinking of MV Princess of the Orient in September 1998, the vessel’s chief mate admitted in his testimony about his lack of awareness about the ship’s ballast tanks or even how to press it.

*******

Following the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy, I also joined a team from MARINA led by Administrator Vic Suazo to inspect the vessels of Sulpicio Lines in Cebu on June 27, 2008. I only boarded one ship and I noted a number of deficiencies already particularly with regards to lashings and cargo stowage. I did not bother inspecting the other ships because it would just be ‘same difference’ as I would say. BMI should consider this premise: ‘A non-ballasted ship combined with improper lashings and stowage of cargo, plus possible alteration of the ship make the perfect recipe for a maritime disaster.’ Now it’s time for the BMI to pursue it to the end and make the culpable parties pay the price of gross, albeit intentional, negligence.

by: NELSON P. RAMIREZ

Most Outstanding Marine Engineer Officer, PRC, 1996
Most Outstanding Student, ZNSAT, 1970
Outstanding Achiever of the Year, Province of Zamboanga del Norte, 2006

BATANGAS "RURAL" PORT?

The Batangas International Port, locally known as the Batangas Pier, is the premier seaport of the CALABARZON region and is located in Batangas City along the shores of Batangas Bay in Batangas. (Whew! Lots of “Batangases” there.)

Unfortunately, despite the “International” in its name, Batangas International Port is still primarily a domestic port. It is a key Ro-Ro (roll-on-roll-off) port going to Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro, to Marble Island of Romblon Province and ultimately to Iloilo City, forming part of President Arroyo’s Strong Republic Nautical Highway. Among tourists and travelers, the seaport is more well known for being a gateway to Puerto Galera, especially Sabang Beach and White Beach. Entering the domestic terminal of the seaport, it’s impossible for you not to be bombarded by the people hawking their fastcraft services going to Puerto Galera.

HOW ABOUT THE SERVICES?

Last week my wife and I went to Mindoro for a vacation. The bus fare from Buendia to Batangas cost P171.50 each. We managed to arrived early. It took 1 1/2 hour bus ride, maybe because of the newly opened CALABARZON road.

The fare from Batangas to Calapan cost 250 each plus terminal fee of P10.00. We waited for almost an hour at the terminal. What we noticed that time was the ineffeciency of port authorities , lock of securities and one more thing, the terminal is not air-conditioned.It's like an oven. Whew! it's really hot.

This kind of services must be reported to the proper authority, especially to the media (IMBESTIGADOR of GMA-7 or XXX of Channel 2). We were very dissapointed, because its a busy port, thousands of travellers used that port, going to Mindoro, Aklan, Iloilo and of course Romblon. They must do something to properly accomodate those travellers.

Is it worthy to call this port as BATANGAS INTERNATIONAL PORT? or they rather change it to BATANGAS RURAL PORT.

Salvaging of MV Princess of the Stars has not started

GMANews.TV

SIBUYAN EXPRESS

Sibuyan Express was offering fast and reliable Express Courier and Money Remittance service throughout the Province of Romblon. This company was founded in the late 2000. This company was owned by Ms. Lina Regala of Cajidiocan, Sibuyan Romblon.

Sibuyan Express
Zacarias G. de Guzman St., Quiapo Manila
landline: (02) 736-3551/(02) 4883627
mobile: 0918-2132659 / 0928-7557146

Sibuyan Express carries on advancing and fulfilling its mission to reach out to the Romblo manon community that will ultimately help every kababayans.

ViperBravo's Animated GIF

The author would to thanks, Mr. Stuart Leung of www.interbasket.net for acknowledging my work. It’s an animated image of Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, and Sasha Vujacic joyriding in a jeep.