Lawmaker questions ship owner on locked life jackets on M/V Trisha Kerstin 3

A lawmaker on Thursday questioned Aleson Shipping Lines, the owner of the sunken M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, for allegedly locking life vests in cabinets and placing their passengers’ safety at risk.

At the House Transportation Committee hearing on the sinking of M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo “Rodge” Gutierrez asked why the life jackets were locked up.

“Bakit nilo-lock? Mahal ba ‘yun? Is there a fear na ninanakaw po yun? What possible reason would there be a life-saving device. It shouldn’t be locked in the first place,” Gutierrez, vice-chair of the House panel, said.

(Why are these locked? Is it expensive? Is there a fear that these might be stolen? What possible reason would there be a life-saving device. It shouldn’t be locked in the first place.)

Muzaheeda Ismi, one of the survivors of the incident, recalled that passengers were forced to open the cabinets where the life jackets were stored during the ill-fated voyage of the ship.

Ismi added that some life jackets were damaged.

“Nasa aircon accommodation po kami that time and ‘yung cabinet po ng life jackets naka-lock po. We had to forcefully open it at ‘yung nagbukas ng cabinet ay one of the passengers,” she said during the House hearing.

(We were in airconditioned accommodation during that time and the cabinets where the life jackets were stored were locked. We had to forcefully open it and one of the passengers opened the cabinet.)

“’Yung ibang cabinets po kinailangan din sipain ng ibang passengers para ma-open ang lock. Pagkakuha po ng jackets, naka double knot so you won’t be able to use it agad-agad because kailangan mo siyang buksan and pagka-open ng life jacket, sira po,” she said.

(Other passengers had to kick other cabinets to open it. After getting the jackets, these turned out to be double-knotted so you won’t be able to use it immediately because you need to undo it. Upon opening the life jacket, some were apparently damaged.)

Ismi added: “We had to be resourceful kung paano aayusin ang life jacket at walang whistle ang life jacket.”

(We had to be resourceful on how we will fix the life jacket and the life jacket had no whistle.)

Gutierrez then asked if the shipping company committed violations for locking the life jackets. 

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said this was a violation of safety standards for passengers.

“Normally, hindi naman nilo-lock. For SOP, bawal i-lock,” Zoe Goco, a legal counsel of Aleson Shipping Lines, said in response.

(Normally, these are not locked. As per SOP, these should not be locked.)

Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno Chel Diokno said the “real tragedy” of the maritime incident is the persisting circumstances that also occurred during the ill-fated voyage of M/V Dona Paz in 1987.

“That is the real tragedy of this incident and it makes me really angry that this happened and been allowed to happen. Ang Dona Paz nangyari pa nung 1987, 39 years have passed pero walang nagbago sa sitwasyon,” Diokno said.

(That is the real tragedy of this incident and it makes me really angry that this happened and been allowed to happen. The sinking of Dona Paz happened in 1987, 39 years have passed but the situation has not changed.)

“There has to be accountability to this,” he added.

MV Trisha Kerstin 3 sank in the waters offshore Pilas Island, Basilan on January 26. The Philippine Coast Guard said the latest death toll is now 52, with 293 survivors and 24 still missing.

The search and rescue and dive operations for the victims in the vicinity waters off Baluk-Baluk Island is still ongoing. — JMA, GMA Integrated News