INQUIRER Global Nation

Some 44 lives were lost when a wooden-hulled vessel capsized in the waters off Cagayan last Sunday at the height of Typhoon Ulysses. Nine passengers remain missing.

According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, MB Maejan ignored the gale warning from the Office of Civil Defense issued to bar sea travel to and from northern Luzon ports that day.

The vessel was found to have been overloaded. It was carrying 101 people, or twice its maximum load, when it left port Sunday while monsoon winds aggravated by Typhoon Ulysses swept the coast of Luzon.

This has been the third sea accident involving wooden motor bancas in the last two months. The first was MB Don Dexter Cathlyn, which capsized off Bicol last Nov. 4 and killed 42 people. Eight passengers remained missing.

At least 14 people were killed when the MB Roliv IV capsized off Iloilo on Nov. 6.

After three accidents in two months, the Philippine Coast Guard is now giving a second look on the safety of wooden-hull vessels in transporting passengers.

The Philippine Coast Guard is reviewing the use of wooden-hulled motor boats in order to determine the viability of such vessels to ferry passengers and at least require the owners to strengthen the craft’s structure to ensure safety of passengers.

The Coast Guard is speaking as if the three accidents are something new in the country.

Who could forget the ML Gretchen that capsized close to shore of Cadiz City, Negros Occidental on Feb. 18, 1996, killing 54 people including 31 children?

Or the MB Nilode that capsized off the vicinity of barangay Atipolo, Naval, in Biliran province, on May 11, 2002? Some 19 persons were killed in that accident.

After the June 21 sinking of MV Princess of the Stars, the public expected a tightened rein on maritime transport to prevent more loss of lives.

But there seems to be no end to the country’s maritime disasters because lessons have not been learned. What we get are mere knee-jerk reactions of enforcement agencies.

One only has to look at our inter-island motor bancas to see how unsafe many of these are. Most are overloaded, especially during passenger seasons like Christmas. Many don’t have life vests on board. If they have, these are not enough for the number of passengers on the vessel. Passengers are not even required to wear these before sailing.

But the Coast Guard only chooses to act every time there is a sea tragedy. A life has to be lost before government agencies get their acts together.