Typhoon Frank formally ushered in the 2008 season of death and destruction, which came early this year, as the more cataclysmic storms, according to PAG-ASA, usually occur during the latter half of the year. And they hardly ever hit the areas of the Visayas where they did the most damage. Frank was a freak. This simply means that the worst is yet to come.
I didn’t mean to make light of the suffering of thousands when I made what seems to me now as a frivolous post during the time Frank was still pummeling Luzon. I must have been giddy with relief at having been spared by its brutal fury. Now I have survivor guilt and seek to make amends by making what I hope to be a serious, even solemn, post.
I have previously written about what Prof. Randy David calls our “disaster threshold” and how poverty is a major factor which prevents the majority of our countrymen from shielding themselves from the worst effects of these devastating events. Poverty and political opportunism.
Our disaster threshold as a nation is extremely low, such that we suffer much from every visiting calamity and we recover ever so slowly.
Poverty is what makes people live on the slopes of active volcanoes or build their shanties on the banks of powerful rivers. Poverty compels people to ignore the risks they pose; political opportunism makes politicians close their eyes to the dangers to which their constituencies expose themselves.
Valid points, but I would like to add another element to this equation. The greed of certain individuals or corporations compound the tragic effects of natural calamities such as Typhoon Frank. Greed and its handmaidens, negligence and indifference. Greed led the owner of the MV Princess of the Stars to allow it to proceed on its final journey despite storm warnings. This is the same corporation which owned the even more ill-fated Dona Paz, a ship whose loss on December 20, 1987 killed nearly three times as many as the famous Titanic. The Dona Paz has the sad distinction of being the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history.
Initial reports say that the ship suffered engine trouble and with its engines gone, it could not escape from Frank’s murderous path. The apt phrase commonly used is “dead in the water”. This was certainly the ultimate fate of many of the ferry’s passengers. The ship was buffeted by strong waves which caused it to sink off Sibuyan Island , a stroke of belated luck which may have saved hundreds of lives. Its proximity to the cluster of islands in the Romblon area allowed survivors to swim or drift to safety.
How could this happen again after Dona Paz, you say ? After all, typhoons hit the country with numbing regularity. Yet nobody seems to have foreseen or at least sought to minimize the tragic effects of this catastrophe just waiting to happen. What is undeniable is the simple fact that the numerous deaths resulting from such events are as much man-made as they are caused by nature. We, as a people, seem to have surrendered to a culture of disaster , built up by poverty, political opportunism and greed. We accept as inevitable consequences which can be prevented or at least mitigated. The Belmont Club makes this chilling observation:
Today more than 800 people are missing as a ferry sank after it sailed into teeth of the worst typhoon of the season. The Scotsman reports:
Sulpicio Lines, the owner of the MV Princess of Stars, put the number of people missing to 845 after discovering an extra 100 passengers on the ship’s manifest. Only 28 people were last night reported to have survived the disaster and they said many did not make it off the ship in time. … “Many of us jumped, the waves were so huge, and the rains were heavy,” a survivor identified only as Jesse told local radio. “There was just one announcement over the megaphone, about 30 minutes before the ship tilted to its side.
Everything about the disaster, from the shambolic nature of the ship’s manifest, the negligence of the Coast Guard, the indifference to the weather report, the casual way in which the order to abandon ship was given — one wonders why they bothered at all — is redolent of the culture of disaster. Although some might be forgiven for imagining that there might be some correlation between seamanship, material condition, Philippine Coast Guard corruption, weather and ship sinkings — that one might lead to the other — those thoughts are alien to the Philippine bureaucracy. What will be uppermost in their minds is how the party will go on; how the bribes should continue. Those are the eternal things. And as to the perils of sea, well, bahala na. All memory of the MV Princess of Stars disaster, like that of MV Dona Paz, will leave as little trace upon Philippine shipping practices as a thrown stone leaves upon the face of the waters. Eight hundred people, half the Titanic, gone. Just like that.
Gone, just like that. And what are we going to do about it? Not a damn thing, if we run true to form.
In the meantime, as I have said before, the dead lie unburied and orphans wail inconsolably in the night. And the living are, in a sense, even worse off than the dead. They have the burden of going on in the face almost incomprehensible loss.
Tags: abs-cbn, sulpicio lines tragedy, typhoon frank
Seems like I spoke too soon.
Thanks for a very insightful post. It’s no surprise that we have one of the lowest savings rates in the region, we just simply have no concept of investing in the future, and consequently no inclination to invest in a bit of preventive maintenance, preventive measures, and SYSTEMIC thinking.
It is, indeed, a crisis of priorities.
sir butch:
is there by any chance anyone could file a criminal lawsuit against the owner of sulpicio lines? if found guilty (which the owner SHOULD be), what’s the maximum punishment that can be leveled against the owner? on a personal note, methinks this is not just negligence: this is murder on a grand scale.
@Benign0, yes a little preventive anything, common sense and foresight would have saved lives. Systemic thinking, or at least awareness of fundamental best practices in the shipping industry, would have spared scores more. And as you point out, what indeed are the priorities of those involved in and those who should be looking after the industry ? Its pretty obvious.
I fully agree, Marck. Murder on a grand scale is what it is. And considering that the shipping company has been involved in no less than 4 other major maritime disasters, including the record-breaking (in terms of deaths) Dona Paz sinking, for this to happen again and again is criminal. Theoretically, a complaint for gross negligence resulting in loss of life can be filed against the officers of the shipping firm. But the well-known inefficiency and corruption of our judicial system favors the guilty. And the government and courts have been soft on Sulpicio lines, per the Inquirer.
Read this
It is said that the worst events bring out the best in people. In the sinking of the M.V. Princess of Stars, it seems that there few with the presence of mind, much less heroes. Even the ferry’s captain, it looks like, was one of the first to bail out.
Has this ‘culture of disaster’ made the Filipino hero disappear?
[...] Read also: Typhoon Frank, the MV Princess of the Stars Tragedy and the Culture of Disaster [...]
butch, we also as a people need to take a bit of accountability for tolerating these disasters, and the continued trading of Sulpicio lines. It’s not just the accountability of those that govern but also those who are governed.
What really disturbs me is why these disasters are easily swept under the rug and so easily drop off the radar of the collective awareness. It’s happened NO LESS THAN four times. And involved the SAME shippine line.
WHY are we so easily DISTRACTED from what is TRULY important and what ultimately impacts the Average Pinoy Schmoe’s day-to-day struggle?
Could the mishap be avoided?
I checked the previous US JTWC’s warnings on Typhoon Fengshen (Frank) beginning on June 19 to 21, 2008 from U.S. Navy’s website (http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_bin/tc_home2):
June 19, 2008 (1800) – Warning 6 (wp072008.08061918) – The typhoon will hit Eastern Samar on June 20 at 6 am then it will move north and exit Catanduanes (June 21) back to Philippine Sea/Pacific Ocean.
June 20, 2008 (0000) – Warning 7 (wp072008.0806200) – Typhoon path is the same as Warning 6.
June 20, 2008 (0600) – Warning 8 (wp072008.08062000) – JTWC has made a significant change in their prediction of the path of the typhoon. It will now traverse Samar Island then to Masbate, Marinduque on June 20-21 and to Quezon Province by June 21 (6 pm) and Metro Manila and Central Luzon. Maximum wave height 20 ft and wind of 75kts to 90 kts.
June 20, 2008 (1200) – Warning 9 (wp072008.08062006) – After landfall in Samar island, the subsequent path of the typhoon was adjusted. The typhoon will be at Masbate by June 20 (12 noon) then the vicinity of Romblon/Marinduque on June 21 (00 am) passing Batangas (12 noon) and Metro Manila by June 22 (00). Maximum wave height 18 ft and wind of 80 kts to 105 kts.
(Note: wp (number) indicates the “.gif” file of the JTWC Warning)
JTWC issued their warning every 6 hours with their subsequent warnings (June 20, 2008 (1800) – Warning 10 (wp072008.08062012); June 21, 2008 (0000) – Warning 11 (wp072008.0806210); June 21, 2008 (0600) – Warning 12 (wp072008.08062100)) being significant also to forewarn PAGASA, Coast Guard, Sulpicio Lines and Marina of the typhoon’s path. Accessing hourly the websites of other weather stations like JTWC (US), JMA (Japan), etc. to know of their weather forecast should have been part of the protocol of our government agencies regulating maritime and shipping and also by shipping companies rather than relying solely on PAGASA.
Mga Istupidong Komentaryo at Pagbabalita Tungkol sa Lumubog na Barkong MV Princess of the Stars
Ini interview ang isa sa mga nakaligtas
Incident 1
Reporter: Sir, isa pala kayo sa mga crew ng barko, mga crew ba ang unang tumalon sa barko? (Walang puso!)
Incident 2
Reporter ng Radyo: Madame, ano ho nararamdaman nyo ngayon? masaya ba kayo? (Mind you, mukhang tulala ang tinatanong!)
Incident 3
Reporter: Tatay, nabalitaan ko na isa kayo sa nakasakay sa infalatable raft pero sa kasawiang palad ang anak nyo ay nahulog sa lifeboat. Tingin nyo, ano ang nangyari sa kanya?
Survivor: Tingin ko nalunod.
PCG: We’re not to blame, when the boat left manila, typhoon signal in the area (metro manila) was only at number 1. (As if naman ang barko ay hindi aandar!)
PCG: Kinatok namin ang (NAKATAOB) barko pero walang response sa loob (Bakit, gawa lang ba sa lawanit ang MV Princess of the Stars?)
Sir I do agree with your comments, annotation and explanation in this saddened events! They just became greed and silly! Tama po kayo kung na marami ang may mali sa nangyari! desisyon making ng kapitan! kahit sabihin nila na sobrang bait nya! kahit sna 2 hours before mangyari ang di inaasahan, knowing na nass delikado na sitwasyon ang barko (which I believed na alam nila na delikado ang sitwasyon! Para ano pa nag nag-aral pa ng four to 6 years yang mga engineers at seaman na yan para di malaman o marealize na nas delikado na kalagayan! MAlamang pati sila ay kasali na nagpanik! kung napakalma lang agad ang mga pasengers kahit paano ay di ganun kadami ang nawawala ngayon na pinaghihinalaan na trap sa loob! knowing na may nga life jackets kc they are only 800 or so perhaps may enough na life best kc ang capacity ng barko ay 1900 . kung tama ang timing, mas maagang action sa nangyayari at briefing ng crews at kapitan sa mga pasengers malamang khit papaano medyo nadagdagan ang survivors! MAhalaga nakatalon sila na may life jacket lulutang lutang sila at mas may chance for survival kesa sa ma trap ka ka loob ng barko na di makahinga dahil sarado ang loob nito! nowhere to off or to get out from that dificulty ! Napadali ang buhay nila sa loob! imagine mo pa naman upside down ang barko tapos nsa tubig ka ! paano po p maiisip n alumabas o hanapain kung saan lalabas!
in my own opinion bribery and corruption is the main cause why it happened…you can still go on your shipping business even your ships are not seaworthy as long as your have (S.O.P.) or padulas….still you ship surely passsed the inspection…..even there is a coming typhoon that might pass thru the channel that you will be navigating…..you can still sail by the approval of the coastguard due to padulas or S.O.P. na naman…kahit hindi na pwede bumiyahi dahil sa coming strong typhoon…..the result of this is the loss of many innocent lives…as what happened of the passengers of the ill-fated Princess of the Stars…when do we change our attitiude,,when do we change our system….our advocacy now is CHANGE..thanks
alam nyo we cant blame anyone 4 it kasi its tragedy,maybe the captain just take the alert of the incoming typhoon easily but it didnt, lets just hope and pray na next time it wont happen again!
kaya para sa mga captain ng mga barko please dont be so over confident pag tungkol sa mga bagay about water tragedies!!!!!! ok lang na mapahamak kayo ng kayo lang but ang madamay ang iba talagang magkakagulo!!!!! dahil sa kaepalan nyo
Re: “Greed led the owner of the MV Princess of the Stars to allow it to proceed on its final journey despite storm warnings.”
My thought too.
Corruption at all levels involving the maritime industry and maritime transport authorities played a disastrous role in all the causes.
Corruption is a killer!
Harlene”s “kaya para sa mga captain ng mga barko please dont be so over confident pag tungkol sa mga bagay about water tragedies!!!!!! ”
I think there is a need to review seamanship in the Philippines.
It is imperative to determine whether the captain was under pressure to sail despite the brewing tempest.
A captain of a ship, commercial or military, is lord and master of his ship and has all the power in the world to determine whether he should set sail or not when he believes weather conditions are risky for the lives of his men (or passengers), his ship and others — no force on earth change this tenet, not his superior in the military could alter this.
@AdB, my personal view is, as you pointed out, he was under a lot of pressure to sail despite the storm warnings. Downtime, no matter how unavoidable or justified, is anathema as it translates to lost revenue. He must have taught that the ship’s size (it was the company’s biggest and supposedly most modern ship )and his long years of experience would be enough. It was a fatal miscalculation, on his and the owners’ part.
Butch,
I agree that there must have been enormous pressure by the owners on the captain to sail — as we all know, it’s difficult to fight big bosses when one is a mere employee no matter the rank.
I learned that some shipping companies cancelled their sorties due to the storm warnings which could lead us to believe that MV Princess of the Stars was forced to sail.
Re: “He must have taught that the ship’s size (it was the company’s biggest and supposedly most modern ship ) — that’s why there is all the more a great need to review seamanship doctrines in the Philippines, to modernize that “big hence indestructible” thinking.
It’s said that is at sea when Murphy’s Law is all the more active.
Questions off the cuff:
1) we want to know why Princess of the Stars was allowed to sail; what was the real score in terms of storm/typhoon signal
2) Sulpicio Lines’ maintenance records should be investigated
3) MARINA and Coast Guard officials must be confronted to find out why and how a 23000 ton ship was certified seaworthy when its engines conked out only a few hours after leaving port.
4) finally, it is imperative to know how adequate safety measures were on board; the most important thing to determine — if only for the sake of avoiding future disasters of this magnitude, i.e., number of lives lost, (in a sea disaster caused in part by a raging sea storm, it is very difficult not to lose lives but it is possible to minimise loss of lives) before that fatidic moment when the “Abandon ship!” order was given, what happened? Were the crew up to managing the foreseeable disaster?
Obviously, Sulpicio Lines will defend itself by saying, which I believe they are now claiming, that it was the captain’s call, i.e., to sail or not not to sail, but that kind of line is hardly morally defensible particularly in light of the missing captain whose story we have yet to hear, i.e., pressure from the bosses? — the fact that the ship conked out a few hours after leaving port points to potentially poor maintenance of the vessel and THAT IS THEIR CALL! They have command responsibility to ensure that all their ships are SEAWORTHY. When things go wrong, they must and need to swallow a huge part of the blame.
Bakit ganon, tuwing may mangyayaring sakuna saka lamang sisihan ng sisihan wala namang napaparusahan. Bakit hindi lagyan ng ngipin ang batas at parusahan ang dapat parusahan. Unahin na ang Coast Guard! they are the one who should be accountable for the tragedies like this. Umpisahan na wala na munang pulitika, ok?
That’s because Ces Drilon wasn’t on that ship.
All I wanted to say…is that, the tragedy was already there..we could not bring back the lives of the victims.Blame doesn’t matter at all,after what happened.It will just make the story complicated.It’s very hard when the scenario is “MEN against NATURE”.You know what it means.Typhoon Frank had contributed much of this tragic disaster.It only means one thing. God reveals what the bible says. So,He is coming.All we can do is to pray and to repent.After All,Only HIM can save us.
Sir Butch,I would like to take this opportunity to say..that i really admired writers even lawyers.It is really my desires to become a Journalist/newscaster or a writer.I really love writing articles.I was an associate editor during my elem. & secondary years.I just want to ask if,Is there a room for me to contribute articles into your site?I’ll be glad to.Hopefully,I can proceed law course like you.Hope to keep in touch with you sir and express some thoughts and views about recent issues.
sa pang yayari ito, ang palagi mong marinig ay puro sisi sa sulpicio, kung bakit mahina ang action, kung bakit di madala kaagad ang mga bangkay sa cebu, saan ang tungkulin ng governo natin, bakit di mga chopper ng governo ang mag dala doon at madali pa. hindi dapat puro sisi, gamitin naman natin ang mga chopper nayan para sa ma bilisan na pag lipad nang mga bangkay.
Thanks for the kind words, Jeanne Kathryn. I know you will be a fine lawyer someday. When you say “blame doesn’t matter at all”, I suppose you are referring to finger-pointing at a time when the crisis must be squarely faced. But while blaming does not matter as it will not bring back the dead, as you say, accountability does. We must hold those responsible answerable for their acts, in order that this horrible tragedy will not be repeated again and again.
And while God certainly knows what she’s doing, and her Will will be done, we should not accept all the consequences of these tragic events as mere “acts of God” or of nature. Human as we are, we have a large degree of control over our lives and how we react to situations and events. God gave us free will. Let’s use it to ensure that greed, corruption, indifference and the multitude of evils which led to this tragedy shall never again prevail.
yeah…Got your point Sir Butch.but it’s very disappointing to know that the due process of law here takes a long..long period of time.Now,this tragic issue is alarming but after a week or a month..this will be rotten.I might be afraid that this issue will remain unsolved throughout the history.So,the Sulpiciolines,the PCG,and other agencies involved must be investigated then.I’m just hoping that on the upcoming days we could still hear about the issue.
kawawa naman ung mga pamilya ng mga biktima.. bangkay na nga, ang tagal pa nila makuha.. dapat bilisan ang aksyon.. habang tumatagal pinapabayaan na nila.. kawawa naman.. dapat isipin ng gobyerbo at suspicio kung sila ang nasakatayuan ng mga biktima..
Grabe talaga ang bagyong frank nakakatakot mas malubha itong bagyong frank kaysa sa mga bagyo noon nawawalhan ng bahay ngayon kasama na pati mga kapwa nating tao tapos paano makakakain ang isda kawawa naman lalo na ang mga namatayan ngayon taon na ito mwah.
Grabe talaga ang bagyong frank nakakatakot mas malubha itong bagyong frank kaysa sa mga bagyo noon nawawalhan ng bahay ngayon kasama na pati mga kapwa nating tao tapos paano makakakain ang isda kawawa naman lalo na ang mga namatayan ngayon taon na ito kawawa naman ang nasalanta ng bagyong frank mwah.
kailangan natin ng pagiisa para ito ay matapos ng maaga e pano yung mga gov. di naman tumutulong….
mas inuuna pa ang pangongocupt
mas inuuna pa ang pangongorupt