House leader appeals phase out of wooden-hull bancas
Published Sep 1, 2019 03:27 pm
By Ellson Quismorio
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) should hold off on their plan to phase out wooden-hull boats as the livelihood of many Filipinos would be adversely affected.
(JOJO RIÑOZA / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Deputy Speaker and Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman underscored the importance of first holding public consultation on the matter.
"While we recognize the need to improve safety at sea for our passenger crafts and fishing boats, we would like to point out that 80 percent of the 7,000 registered ships in the country are wooden-hull, as the MARINA itself knows ," Hataman said.
"Pero huwag naman sana padalos-dalos. Kinonsulta ba nila ang mga maaapektuhan ng direktibang ito? Sa Basilan, Sulu at Tawi-Tawi lang, alam kong maraming mawawalan ng kabuhayan (They shouldn't be too hasty with this. Have they consulted those who will be affected? In Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi alone, I know many will lose their livelihood)," he noted.
"I am sure this is true in other parts of the country...I believe delaying it is best until a public consultation on the issue has been conducted," stressed Hataman.
MARINA on Friday announced it has stopped the registration of new wooden-hull passenger bancas starting two weeks ago in support of the DOTr’s modernization plans for a safer maritime public transport industry.
MARINA officer-in-charge, Vice-Admiral Narciso Vingson made the move to phase out wooden-hull passenger bancas in compliance with a DOTr department order in 2016.
"Kasi kapag di namin ini-stop, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang paggawa ng wooden hull (Because of we don’t stop their registration, wooden-hull bancas will continue to be built)," Vingson said in an ambush interview after the Maritime Safety Summit for Domestic Shipping in a hotel in Manila.
Registered wooden-hull bancas will not be renewed either and only boats with hulls made of fiberglass or steel will be allowed.
"Existing wooden-hull boats with registration have an expiration of five years and after that, we will not be renewing ," Vingson said.
To soften the blow of the planned phaseout, which will affect 80 percent of about 7,000 registered passenger ships, he said MARINA will emulate the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program of the DOTr through the creation of maritime transport cooperatives and provision of financial support.
"They can form a cooperative because a single owner cannot afford a fiberglass ship which costs around PHP5 million to PHP8 million," Vingson said.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said the DOTr’s phaseout plan for wooden-hull bancas, which started in 2016, needs stricter enforcement to prevent maritime tragedies.
"Many of the people in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have depended on the sea for their livelihood for centuries. The sea is part of our history as a people, and our people - especially those who call Tawi-Tawi their home - have been making wooden boats for centuries, even before the existence of the Philippines as a country," Hataman explained.
Tugade said they are eyeing to replace the bancas with Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) vessels or fast crafts as these are safer and have larger seat capacities.
However, he said ports nationwide must first be able to accommodate these larger vessels, which the DOTr is initiating with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
When asked whether the phaseout of wooden-hull bancas would include tourist boats in places such as Palawan, he said passenger safety must always be considered first and that safer vessels such as RoRos can be retrofitted to serve as tourist boats. (With PNA)
(JOJO RIÑOZA / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Deputy Speaker and Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman underscored the importance of first holding public consultation on the matter.
"While we recognize the need to improve safety at sea for our passenger crafts and fishing boats, we would like to point out that 80 percent of the 7,000 registered ships in the country are wooden-hull, as the MARINA itself knows ," Hataman said.
"Pero huwag naman sana padalos-dalos. Kinonsulta ba nila ang mga maaapektuhan ng direktibang ito? Sa Basilan, Sulu at Tawi-Tawi lang, alam kong maraming mawawalan ng kabuhayan (They shouldn't be too hasty with this. Have they consulted those who will be affected? In Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi alone, I know many will lose their livelihood)," he noted.
"I am sure this is true in other parts of the country...I believe delaying it is best until a public consultation on the issue has been conducted," stressed Hataman.
MARINA on Friday announced it has stopped the registration of new wooden-hull passenger bancas starting two weeks ago in support of the DOTr’s modernization plans for a safer maritime public transport industry.
MARINA officer-in-charge, Vice-Admiral Narciso Vingson made the move to phase out wooden-hull passenger bancas in compliance with a DOTr department order in 2016.
"Kasi kapag di namin ini-stop, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang paggawa ng wooden hull (Because of we don’t stop their registration, wooden-hull bancas will continue to be built)," Vingson said in an ambush interview after the Maritime Safety Summit for Domestic Shipping in a hotel in Manila.
Registered wooden-hull bancas will not be renewed either and only boats with hulls made of fiberglass or steel will be allowed.
"Existing wooden-hull boats with registration have an expiration of five years and after that, we will not be renewing ," Vingson said.
To soften the blow of the planned phaseout, which will affect 80 percent of about 7,000 registered passenger ships, he said MARINA will emulate the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program of the DOTr through the creation of maritime transport cooperatives and provision of financial support.
"They can form a cooperative because a single owner cannot afford a fiberglass ship which costs around PHP5 million to PHP8 million," Vingson said.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said the DOTr’s phaseout plan for wooden-hull bancas, which started in 2016, needs stricter enforcement to prevent maritime tragedies.
"Many of the people in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have depended on the sea for their livelihood for centuries. The sea is part of our history as a people, and our people - especially those who call Tawi-Tawi their home - have been making wooden boats for centuries, even before the existence of the Philippines as a country," Hataman explained.
Tugade said they are eyeing to replace the bancas with Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) vessels or fast crafts as these are safer and have larger seat capacities.
However, he said ports nationwide must first be able to accommodate these larger vessels, which the DOTr is initiating with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
When asked whether the phaseout of wooden-hull bancas would include tourist boats in places such as Palawan, he said passenger safety must always be considered first and that safer vessels such as RoRos can be retrofitted to serve as tourist boats. (With PNA)