Congressman Plaza Berates MARINA Head for thousands stranded in Batangas

Rep. Ompong Plaza discuss things with other government officials.

Congress, QC - Agusan Del Sur Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza yesterday lashed out at Marina Administrator Marilen Bautista for stranding thousands of passengers returning from their holiday vacation in Oriental Mindoro and Batangas ports in the wake of the sinking of M/V Baleno 9 off Isla Verde Island.

At the same time, the senatoriable from Mindanao renewed his call for Bautista to resign from her post for being unqualified to run the agency tasked to safeguard the safety of seagoing passengers.

“As if to make up for the Christmas tragedy that killed 60 people, she grounded almost all passenger ships plying the Batangas-Mindoro that affected thousands who had to immediately return to their places of work,” he said.

Earlier, Plaza challenged Bautista and other heads of maritime enforcement agencies to resign for their inability to insure the safety of seagoing passengers. He also urged relatives of victims to file a class suit not only against the ship owners, but also against responsible officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications, Marina and Coast Guard.

Bautista blamed certain politicians exerting pressure on her office to go easy on passenger ships and lack of personnel to make an audit on all seagoing vessels in the country.

Plaza urged the Marina head to name names of the mentioned politicians, adding that her inability to resist their lobbying only showed that she is not qualified to lead the agency, whose paramount mandate is the safety of the seagoing public.

“Ilang buhay pa ang mamamatay, magpapasko pa naman noong nangyari ang nasabing paglubog. Ang mga biktima may dalang pera at regalo pag-uwi nila sa kanilng mga pamilya, pero ito darating silang puro mga patay,” he said.

In a related development, a concerned citizen said that the Norwegian government donated P20 million to the Philippines to enact a law to consolidate all government agencies into a one-stop shop for the documentation of seafarers. This way, our seamen would avoid the tedious process of going to the Professional Regulation Commission, TESDA, Marina, Maritime Council and Department of Labor for their accreditation.

Instead of crafting a bill that will benefit seafarers as intended by the donor, he said that Bautista had other ideas in mind. Her version, now pending in congress, would give more powers to Marina incorporating under it the Philippine Ports Authority, the Coast Guard and Maritime Office of Transport.

What’s more, he said, Marina would be elevated into full-pledged cabinet department, and would give a tenure of seven years to the secretary of the proposed Department of Maritime Affairs.

He asked Bautista to account for the P20 million grant by the Norwegian government that is supposed to create a one-stop shop for the accreditation of Pilipino seafarers.(PR/Office of Congressman Plaza)

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