'TOL VIEWS Senator Francis N. Tolentino The parable of the Good Samaritan is about a Jewish traveler who was attacked by robbers, beaten, stripped of clothing, and left half dead along the road. First, a Jewish priest came, next came a Levite – but both proceeded to pass the poor traveler and went their own ways. Finally, there came the Samaritan. It was known that there was a long-standing hatred between the Jews and the people of Samaria. Yet, the Samaritan was the only one that stopped to help the injured Jew. He bandaged him and cleaned his wounds and then put him on the back of his donkey and paid for an innkeeper to look after him. Last Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, I filed Senate Bill No. 1388, otherwise known as the “Good Samaritan at Sea Law.” This law institutionalizes one’s duty to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost and to another ship, its crew, and passengers, following a collision. I originally filed this back in the 18th Congress after learning of the dreadful experience 22 fishermen faced in the West Philippine Sea back in June 2019 where a Chinese fishing vessel reportedly collided with the boat of 22 Filipino fishermen near the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea. Following the collision, the boat of the Filipinos sank and instead of lending a helping hand, the Chinese fishing vessel’s crew left the 22 Filipino fishermen “to the mercy of the elements.” Our kababayans were later rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel. This was just one of many accounts of altercations with a Chinese vessel that our Filipino fishermen have experienced in the West Philippine Sea. This bill was crafted to ensure that persons guilty of jeopardizing the lives of men at sea and those who unreasonably fail to render assistance to persons in distress at sea do not go unpunished. More importantly, the Philippines is very much reliant on its coastal and marine resources. With our 7,641 islands, fishing is an important source of livelihood for the Filipinos. As such, it is our duty to ensure their safety and secure, most especially our small-scale Filipino fishermen who venture into the sea in their small boats. This goes to show that this piece of legislation requires our preferential attention. It would not only institutionalize the act of being a good samaritan to our neighbors, regardless of nationality, but more importantly would protect the lives of our Filipino fishermen. As you can see from Senate Bill No. 1388, it refers to "any person" – so the Good Samaritan at Sea Law sees no nationality in giving a helping hand to any person sailing under any flag. As long as you are distressed, any person capable should help.