Senator Grace Poe (Senate PRIB)





Senator Grace Poe on Saturday, July 29, sought life imprisonment for the captain of motorboat Princess Aya that capsized off Binangonan, Rizal and claimed the lives of 27 passengers last July 27. ‘’Pangalawa yung multa naman doon saka pag-blacklist sa kumpanya na gumagawa ng ganyan ay isa rin na maaari na mapataw sa kanila (Second, the owner of ‘Princes Aya’ must be fined and his company blacklisted),’’ she stressed during a DWIZ radio interview. Poe, chairperson of the Senate Public Services committee, said the captain should face criminal charges for allowing passengers to board the vessel, knowing fully well that it was already overloaded. The vessel was on its way to nearby Talim island when tragedy struck. ‘’Pinayagan niya na maglagay ng overcapacity na talagang sinadya niya yun, alam nya na overcapacity na (The boat captain knowingly allowed his vessel to get overloaded). So criminal yun, dapat talagang makulong yun panghabambuhay (That is criminal, he should be meted life imprisonment),’’ she added. Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada shared Poe’s position, saying that ‘’They must hold those responsible accountable for their actions, or inactions, that may have contributed to this tragedy.’’ "There must be full transparency in their conduct of comprehensive and impartial inquiry into the incident,’’ he said, adding that he is ‘’deeply saddened and alarmed by this tragic incident". ‘’Pero ang mas nakakadismaya ay ang malinaw na kapabayaan at pagpapairal ng kasakiman ng ilan sa ating mga kababayanan na mas prayoridad ang kita kesa sa buhay at kapakanan ng publiko (But I am dismayed that some of our countrymen’s priority is money before public welfare),’’ he said. "Dapat lamang na maparusahan sila ayon sa mga umiiral na batas (It is but right that they should be penalized under existing laws),’’ he pointed out. Poe expressed the view that an independent organization or group in government should undertake the probe on the Laguna Lake tragedy. She pointed to her bill seeking the creation of a National Transport Safety Board. Since the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) should be held responsible for lifting the order on "Aya" to sail four hours after typhoon ‘’Egay’’ left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), why should PCG investigate itself, she asked. The passenger capacity of the vessel was about 22 but there were reportedly more than 70 passengers. Senator Raffy Tulfo is set to file a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry into the incident on Monday, July 31. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III earlier said he favors a Senate inquiry since the bulk of casualties claimed by typhoon ‘’Egay’’ came from the Laguna Lake tragedy.