Dumagdag si Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga sa mga mambabatas na nais paimbestigahan ang paglubog ng MB Aya Express na ikinasawi ng 27 katao.
Sa House Resolution 1159, partikular na nais ipasiyasat ni Barzaga kung nagkaroon ba ng kapabayaan sa panig ng Philippine Coast Guard.
Batay kasi aniya sa pahayag ni PCG Commandant Adm. Artemio Abu, hindi na nagsagawa ng inspeksyon ang coast guard sa motor banca dahil sa mas mababa naman ang bilang ng pasaherong nakalista sa manifesto kumpara sa orotisadong bilang o limit.
Ngunit sa salaysay ng mga nakaligtas, tinukoy na may mga mabibigat na cargo ang bangka gaya ng motorsiklo.
“Survivors also said that the boat carried heavy cargo such as motorcycles and sacks of sand and rice. Clearly, there was overloading considering that the manifest stated that there were only 22 passengers and three crew members. Moreover, even Binangonan, Rizal Mayor Cesar Ynares stated that MB Aya Express was warned not to overload passengers, but the warning was ignored. Thus, Mayor Ynares wanted the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the operator of MB Aya Express to be held responsible,” saad ni Barzaga sa resolusyon.
Para sa chair ng House Committee on Natural Resources, nakababahala ang ‘performance’ na ito ng PCG na nasasangkot sa iba pang maritime incident.
Kaya’t kinakailangan aniya ang imbestigasyon upang matukoy kung paaano mapapalakas pa ang PCG sa paggampan ng kanilang mandato.
“There is a need to examine, assess and improve the PCG if it is fulfilling its mandate to the promotion of safety of life and property at sea under the Philippine Coast Guard Law and Presidential Decree Nos. 600, 601, 602, and 970.” diin ni Barzaga.
Kasama rin sa pinasisiyasat ang naging disaster response ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), local government ng Binangonan, Rizal, at iba pang ahensya nang tumama ang bagyong Egay. | ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
