Survivor: No help from crew members even after ‘abandon ship’ order

MANILA, Philippines - Crew members of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars failed to assist passengers after the captain issued the "prepare to abandon ship" order, a survivor said on Friday during the Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) hearing on Friday. Pal Philip Vasquez, one of the 56 survivors, said passengers - who at that time were already starting to panic - were left to fend for themselves moments before strong waves caused the vessel to capsize. "No one told us to wear life jackets. That time I'm just thinking on how to survive," Vazquez, a seaman, said. Vasquez said that between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. of June 21, he had heard the ship captain's announcement for "all crew proceed to the master station," which he said was a meeting usually called by the captain to instruct the ship's crew to provide assistance to the passengers in case of an emergency. The survivor, however, recalled that even after the meeting, passengers were not given assistance - many of whom have already started to panic. Vasquez said he jumped from the port side of the ship, as the vessel tilted towards the starboard side. When the ship tilted, Vasquez said he heard loud sounds coming from the ship's cargo bay, indicating that the cargoes were moving. "The ship listed at around 11:45 a.m. and then afterwards I heard the cargoes moving," Vasquez said. Vasquez recalled that at that time, huge waves were already battering the ship and that he decided to jump into the water to join others who were already boarding a life raft. "The wave was higher that the ship. I hang on for 15minutes and jumped into the water after I saw a life raft. I was the third person who boarded that raft," Vazquez said, adding the group was drifted to the shores of Mulanay town in Quezon province after a long sea ordeal. In the same hearing, Dante Macaisa, country manager of CEBA Logistics, said they were not responsible for the safety of endosulfan shipment inside the ship. "We're just the agent who transacted the transshipment of the cargo, we are not the shipper," said Macaisa, noting that the shipper of the cargo was Del Monte Philippines Inc. In a prepared statement presented to the BMI, Macaisa said CEBA Philippines was contracted by Del Monte to process with Customs the transshipment permit of the cargo from the Manila International Container Port to Bugo, Cagayan de Oro. Macaisa also said the CEBA Philippines made arrangements for the transportation of the cargo to the domestic port at North Harbor, Manila, and its hand-over to Sulpicio Lines. The official noted that CEBA presented to Sulpicio Lines all documents for the shipment including the international bill of lading and the material safety data sheet that both clearly state endosulfan is toxic and a marine pollutant. In a related development, the BMI said it is eyeing to hold hearings in Cebu province in order to obtain more first-hand information on the incident from the survivors themselves. Radio dzRH reported that BMI head Vice Admiral Ramon Liwag said they are considering to hold hearings in Cebu since most of the survivors had gone home to Cebu, and may find it hard to travel all the way to Manila. Liwag said it would help the investigation greatly if the survivors attend the hearings and narrate what happened in the critical moments before the ship capsized off Romblon. However, he did not say when such a Cebu hearing will be held. - GMANews.TV