The growing frustration of the families of the passengers in the MV Princess of the Stars reflect the long running problems of our domestic shipping industry. The ship went down near Romblon during the typhoon Frank that hit the country last weekend.
While we were taught in elementary school that the Philippines is made up of 7100 islands, going to these islands is difficult and expensive for most. Even within the three main island groupings, inter-island commuting carries with it the stigma from the sea tragedies in the past.
There are short-haul inter-island ferries that carry commuters and goods between small islands and small passenger boats to fill in the rest. Yet the major sea lanes are controlled by a few big operators. The three major ferry operators controlling the services from Davao, Mindanao and Cebu, have merged over the last decade. A commuter from Manila to the major ports in the Visayas and Mindanao would have to contend with the rates and services of these companies.
The tragedy in Romblon highlights three things. First, even with the so-called 'Strong Republic National Highway' program of the current government prioritizing the development of roll-on/roll-off facilities and vessels, reliable and affordable sea transportation for commuter and goods has yet to be achieved throughout the archipelago.
Second, there exist multiple overlapping bodies under the Department of Transportation and Communication that handle shipping and domestic sea travel. Ports are the responsibility of Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) while the regulation of the shipping sector is the responsibility of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina). Policy for safety and ship registration is with the PPA although enforcement and implementation is done by the Philippine Coast Guard. Dissemination of weather information, ship monitoring and even rapid rescue and coordination still need to be addressed by these agencies.
These agencies with overlapping functions with regard to domestic sea transport makes it hard to pinpoint responsibility in the wake of disasters such as the Princess of the Stars tragedy. This situation is further compounded by the deregulation and liberalization of the shipping industry.
Third, a vibrant shipping industry is ultimately dependent on a vibrant domestic economy. Raw agricultural products and commuters are the main cargo of vessels within the country. Only a small number of container vessels that carry the Philippines flag are involved in overseas trade. Most of our national fleet-- container vessels, tankers and general cargo-- are small in tonnage. Most are more than 25 years of age due to a low rate of retirement and replacement of vessels. It is only with the bulk fleet that there are new acquisitions in the past few years.
There is a lack of major ship building facilities that can turn out new vessels. Machinery, ship parts and new vessels are mostly imported. Even financing ship acquisition is a problem by the domestic shipping industry. With the trend to liberalize further the shipping industry, the backbone of our domestic travel will be out of our hands and tied with the interests of foreign investors.
Public utilities are services and infrastructure that are used by the people to facilitate their daily activities and enhance economic production. Among these are electric power, water services, fuel, telecommunications and transportation. In mass transport, the infrastructure and means that enable goods and people to be conveyed from one place to another in an affordable and timely manner is a public utility. These include road networks, land, air and sea transport, and traffic control.
All of these utilities should be accessible and affordable to the people since limiting access to these services would make, in general, daily activities more difficult. Since these utilities faciltate the growth of the domestic economy and supports the people's daily activities, it is a must for an honest government to be the one to build and manage these infrastructures.
In a discussion with Capt. Danilo "Ka Dan" Vizmanos, a retired Navy captain who fought against martial law, he noted that as an archipelagic country, we should invest heavily as a country in building our shipping industry. The Navy captain turned militant activist, writer and social critic passed away last Monday.
Yet his aspirations still ring true: we need to upgrade our shipyards to be able to engage not just in ship repair but even in engine and machine parts production. Our sea traffic monitoring, weather and rescue services should be strengthened. Our capacity to patrol our seas and defend our national patrimony should be increased, instead of allowing foreigners to plunder our resources.
To make ourselves truly seaworthy, we need to build a strong domestic shipping industry that supports domestic trade and ensures access, reliability and affordability for the people.###