Recalled divers to stay in Manila until Tuesday

MANILA, Philippines - The divers recalled to Manila to undergo checkups for possible exposure to endosulfan from the capsized MV Princess of the Stars will remain in Manila until Tuesday, Trasportation Undersecretary Elena Bautista said Sunday. Bautista said this will also give the divers a chance to rest before returning to the site to resume their search and retrieval operations for the victims of the ill-fated Sulpicio Lines-owned vessel. "Pahinga muna sila, recommendation nina Dr. Tayag. Manatili sila riyan hanggang Tuesday (For the moment they will rest as per recommendations of Dr. Eric Tayag of the National Epidemiology Center. They will remain in Manila until Tuesday)," Bautista said in an interview on dzBB radio. Bautista heads a task force looking into the capsizing of MV Princess of the Stars. Last Friday, the divers from the Coast Guard, Navy and police maritime group were recalled to Manila following the discovery of a shipment of endosulfan inside the capsized vessel. Endosulfan is a toxic pesticide banned in many countries. The Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) said though its importation is allowed in the Philippines, it is considered highly dangerous and should not be loaded on passenger vessel. The discovery of endosulfan may lead to a second investigation and another string of charges against Sulpicio Lines. Before the discovery of the endosulfan, the divers had been in the water for a week looking for survivors and bodies of fatalities. In the meantime, Bautista said a different set of divers is now in Romblon, this time to retrieve the 40-foot container van containing the endosulfan. On Saturday, Bautista said the task force is eyeing Wednesday as the deadline to extract the 40-foot container van containing the endosulfan from the vessel. Bautista said a barge with two tons of cutting equipment and a crane to extract the container van will be due at ground zero on Monday. "We want to target to get the cargo out until Wednesday at the latest. Kung pwede Monday or Tuesday, mas mabuti iyan (If we can get the job done Monday or Tuesday, so much the better)," she said. She said they also hope to extract some 35 drums of asphalt and a shipment of electric transformers from the capsized vessel. There was also a shipment for a pest control firm but there was no sign of dangerous chemicals, Bautista said. Other cargo in the ship included vehicles to be delivered from Manila to Cebu, including those from Ford and Toyota. The divers seeking to retrieve the endosulfan will use protective suits brought in from Singapore. "We were very transparent with them, may presence ng chemical, zero contamination. Critical ang timing (We were very transparent with the divers. We told them there is the presence of a chemical but zero contamination so far. The timing is critical)," she said. She said the video footages will help them locate where to cut so they can quickly get the container of endosulfan out. She said they will not open the container van. - GMANews.TV