9-8-2023 (MANILA) A Senate hearing has shed light on the boat accident in Laguna de Bay two weeks ago, revealing a combination of corruption, negligence, and safety protocol violations that led to the tragic loss of 27 lives. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for accountability.
During the three-hour hearing on Tuesday, Senator Grace Poe expressed her belief that the tragedy could have been prevented. She emphasized that if the passengers had been provided with life vests and if the boat had not been overloaded, the loss of lives could have been avoided.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Petty Officer 2 Jay Rivera, who was grilled by Senator Raffy Tulfo, admitted that he had not personally inspected the MB Aya Express before it departed from the port in Binangonan. Rivera stated that the boat captain, Donald Anain, had submitted a passenger list with only 22 names. Rivera, stationed at the PCG substation nearby, did not physically inspect the boat before it set sail.
Tulfo criticized Rivera for his negligence, stating that lives could have been saved if he had done his job and prevented the overloaded boat from leaving. Tulfo suggested that perhaps Rivera had been influenced by monetary incentives to allow the boat to sail.
The PCG has filed a complaint against Anain, the boat owner, and others involved for “fraud” and “misrepresentation.” PCG Commander Adm. Artemio Abu ordered the administrative relief of Rivera and his immediate superior, Lt. j.g. Arjohn Elumba, following the accident. Both officers face administrative and criminal charges.
Anain admitted during the hearing that the boat had exceeded its allowed capacity of 42 passengers. He also confessed that he did not possess a license from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to operate the vessel and had only received a three-day training. Anain claimed that the PCG honored his seafarer identification book (SIB), which serves as a record of sea travel and service, allowing him to operate the boat without the required license. However, both Abu and Marina Deputy Administrator for Operations Nanette Dinopol refuted Anain’s claim.
Anain further admitted to bribing PCG officers, including Rivera, to avoid a strict inspection of the boat. He claimed to have given bananas worth P100 and P50 in cash to Rivera on the day of the accident. These allegations were met with skepticism from Senator Tulfo, who questioned the credibility of Anain’s statements.
One survivor, John Marr Nino delos Reyes, contradicted Anain’s claims that the passengers were instructed to wear life vests and warned about the boat being overloaded. Delos Reyes stated that the boat had even returned to the port to pick up eight additional passengers.
